Recall Effort for Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice Begins

The signature gathering can now begin to gain the needed signatures to place a recall on a future ballot to remove Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice from office.
The deadline for Curtice to appeal the approval of a recall petition to remove him from office was Monday and no appeal was filed according to Yakima County Auditor Charles Ross.

WILL YOU SIGN THE PETITION?

That means the signature gathering can now begin.
Curtice not only faces the recall effort but also charges of official misconduct and making false statements to public officials. The charges were leveled against Curtice earlier this month during an arraignment in Yakima County District Court.

THE PETITION IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Officials from the Yakima County Republican Party are developing a petition for people to sign after three Republican Party Precinct Officers lead the initial recall effort.
They have 6 months to gather 13,488 signatures to qualify for a future ballot. Ross says there's no date yet set for when the issue could appear on a ballot.

WHEN DID THE RECALL EFFORT START?

The recall effort was started last year after Yakima Police say Curtice stole and used drugs from the bodies of overdose victims. But when police questioned him about the allegations he told authorities he believed he'd been poisoned on the job with fentanyl and cocaine possibly by staff members in his office.

CURTICE FINALLY ADMITTED TO POLICE HE WAS LYING

Curtice eventually admitted to stealing the drugs and using them himself. As a result the Ellensburg Prosecutors Office has filed gross misdameanor charges of evidence tampering, making false statements and official misconduct. The charges were filed Wednesday in Yakima County District Court. The recall effort would end today if Curtice was to resign.