Private Investigator Denied Bail in Superior Court

A private investigator accused of intimidating, bribing and tampering with witnesses was charged in Yakima County Superior Court Monday.

On Friday a judge denied a request by 38-year-old Stephanie Barnes to be released on bail. She remains in the Yakima County Jail today.

Yakima County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Russel says, “She tried to bribe or intimidate both victims and witnesses in very important criminal cases in Yakima we’re still trying to investigate all that happened.”

On Friday Barnes and her lawyer had asked a judge to release her from jail so she could take care of her disabled daughter and her home but the request was denied.