PORT ANGELES — Accused double-murderer and former death row inmate Darold R. Stenson will be transferred from the Clallam County jail to the state prison in Shelton after his next court appearance Thursday.
The impending transfer is the result of a special contract the three county commissioners approved with the state Department of Corrections on Tuesday.
The county and the DOC will split the $600-per-day transportation cost on the rare occasions that Stenson appears in Clallam County Superior Court.
Stenson, 59, will be swapped for a state prisoner until his trial begins March 4. He is being held without bail.
“What it represents in terms of expense is it’s a one-for-one day trade,” said Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict while introducing the contract Monday.
“We handle DOC prisoners. Usually, we charge them 70 bucks a day, or $75, whatever the going rate is. What will happen is that we’ll offset that.
“In other words, they won’t pay us for one of their prisoners they have here,” Benedict said.
Jail Superintendent Ron Sukert said Stenson will be moved to the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton sometime after his next court appearance at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Judge Ken Williams is expected to rule Thursday on Stenson’s placement and the clothing he wears to pretrial hearings. His lawyers have argued that he should be allowed to wear a suit rather than jail-issue garb.
The county and DOC routinely trade inmates, but Stenson doesn’t fall under the regular contract because he no longer is considered a state prisoner.
His 1994 conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court in May. It found that Stenson’s rights were violated because prosecutors did not provide photographs and FBI lab notes to his lawyers until 2009.
Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Deb Kelly recharged Stenson with two counts of first-degree aggravated murder in July and has said she intends to seek the death penalty again.
Shooting deaths
Stenson, who has maintained his innocence, is charged in the shooting deaths of his wife, Denise, and business partner, Frank Hoerner, at his bird farm southwest of Sequim in 1993.
“The real issue is that he is an unsentenced confinee at this point, if you will, since his sentence was completely vacated,” Benedict said.
The voluntary contract between the county and the state can be ended by either party for any reason.
Clallam County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols said his office has been working with the defense team and the court on the transfer.
“The reason we’re acting on this is that it’s a convenience to both the defense and the prosecution,” Benedict added.
“In the end, it will cost the taxpayers a little bit less with this relationship because we’re not paying his attorneys an aggregate of $450 an hour to drive from Shelton, or wherever they’re at, to Clallam County.”
From county to state
Defense attorney Sherilyn Peterson filed an Oct. 5 motion to move Stenson from the 120-bed county jail to the 1,268-man state holding facility in Shelton.
Peterson said Stenson’s medical needs were not being met in Port Angeles.
Williams has since ruled that his medical needs were being met here.
“The movement is not about medical,” Benedict said.
Nichols added: “This is at the convenience of the defense team in large part.
“As an aside collateral consequence, I think it might save the county a few bucks, which is never a bad thing,” Nichols said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
