‘He’s a violent person’: Thurston Co. Sheriff pleads for change after 10-time felon released, shoots at deputies

The hunt for a multi-felon fugitive ended earlier this week after he shot at deputies in the Tenino area, including hitting a law enforcement vehicle, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

While Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders explained he can now sleep at night upon seeing a photo of the 10-time felon in FBI custody during a press conference, his frustration regarding the release of violent or dangerous criminals has only increased.

“This is the third time we pursued this individual in six months, so the last time I talked about him, I actually specifically stated that if the judges don’t start taking this seriously, that someone’s going to get hurt or killed,” Sanders said. “And here we are, shooting at the police, so maybe they’ll take it more seriously this time. But I’m not confident. It’s hard to believe this is going to end peacefully.”

Damien Madison’s lengthy criminal history includes charges of burglary, drug possession, and high-speed chases at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. Sanders shared that one of his deputies had been shot at 15 times by Madison, 27, with an AR-15.

“He’s a violent person,” Sanders said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “He just got out of prison the first time we chased him six months ago, so he didn’t waste much time getting back into the life of being a criminal.”

10-time felon released from jail

“Yeah, and then Judge Zipp lets him go,” John Curley, the host of “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio, said. “Do you sense that the community is starting to come around to these judges that run unopposed, that are not properly serving the people of Thurston County?”

“I don’t want to focus entirely on the judges, because this is a system, and they’re only one piece of the system,” Sanders answered. “This is a much broader conversation that needs to occur about the greater criminal justice system. There is a lot of validity to the fact that judges have laws to follow. They have rules to follow as well. So I think this is a system of, how can law enforcement, prosecutors, office, judges, and the legislators actually get together and figure this out?”

One immediate change he would make is eliminating cash bails. Another fix would be changing the rules regarding community custody with the Department of Corrections.

“This isn’t a criticism, but we’ve got to figure out a better way to do this,” Sanders said. “When we get in pursuits, I can almost guarantee the person is under some sort of supervision with the Department of Corrections. They just got out of prison. They’re already convicted felons. They’ve already committed a number of these crimes.”

Listen to the full conversation here:

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