Clallam pet licensing info to be released after no one takes court action

PORT ANGELES — Without an injunction filed against the release of pet licensing information, Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict said he is prepared to fulfill a records request for the information.

Benedict had hoped a resident would file for an injunction with the Clallam County Superior Court but said Tuesday nothing had been filed.

He told William Sheehan of Edmonds, who made the request July 31, that he can come to the Clallam County Courthouse to see the records.

The request was to “make available upon inspection any and all documents that will show all of the licensed pets in Clallam County, including license numbers, owner information and all other pertinent information.”

Sheehan has said he has no plans for the information until he reviews it.

Benedict said he is required to release pet owners’ names, the type of licenses, addresses, phone numbers and dogs’ names.

He sent letters earlier this month to all 2,222 licensed dog and cat owners letting them know of the request. He suspended the program after a previous request but has since reinstated it.

Sheehan has a history of posting lists of police officers’ addresses, home phone numbers and Social Security numbers, The New York Times wrote in 2003.

Sheehan also has made four other broad records requests to the Sheriff’s Office and Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Sheehan has asked the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to make available for inspection “any and all” documents providing information about all employees, agents and temporary workers, including phone numbers, compensation, employee files and personal records. He made a similar request to the Sheriff’s Office.

He also requested “any records that show terminated employees in the last 5 years and any records you may have that will lead to the requested data, including all cell phone records.”

Sheehan also has asked the Sheriff’s Office to provide “any and all” records that show where money collected for the pet licensing program goes and how much money was collected for the entire life of the program.

________

Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Two dead after tree falls in Olympic National Forest

Two women died after a tree fell in Olympic National… Continue reading

Sue Long, left, Vicki Bennett and Frank Handler, all from Port Townsend, volunteer at the Martin Luther King Day of Service beach restoration on Monday at Fort Worden State Park. The activity took place on Knapp Circle near the Point Wilson Lighthouse. Sixty-four volunteers participated in the removal of non-native beach grasses. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Work party

Sue Long, left, Vicki Bennett and Frank Handler, all from Port Townsend,… Continue reading

Portion of bridge to be replaced

Tribe: Wooden truss at railroad park deteriorating

Kingsya Omega, left, and Ben Wilson settle into a hand-holding exercise. (Aliko Weste)
Process undermines ‘Black brute’ narrative

Port Townsend company’s second film shot in Hawaii

Jefferson PUD to replace water main in Coyle

Jefferson PUD commissioners awarded a $1.3 million construction contract… Continue reading

Scott Mauk.
Chimacum superintendent receives national award

Chimacum School District Superintendent Scott Mauk has received the National… Continue reading

Hood Canal Coordinating Council meeting canceled

The annual meeting of the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, scheduled… Continue reading

Bruce Murray, left, and Ralph Parsons hang a cloth exhibition in the rotunda of the old Clallam County Courthouse on Friday in Port Angeles. The North Olympic History Center exhibit tells the story of the post office past and present across Clallam County. The display will be open until early February, when it will be relocated to the Sequim City Hall followed by stops on the West End. The project was made possible due to a grant from the Clallam County Heritage Advisory Board. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Post office past and present

Bruce Murray, left, and Ralph Parsons hang a cloth exhibition in the… Continue reading

This agave grew from the size of a baseball in the 1990s to the height of Isobel Johnston’s roof in 2020. She saw it bloom in 2023. Following her death last year, Clallam County Fire District 3 commissioners, who purchased the property on Fifth Avenue in 2015, agreed to sell it to support the building of a new Carlsborg fire station. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group file)
Fire district to sell property known for its Sequim agave plant

Sale proceeds may support new Carlsborg station project

As part of Olympic Theatre Arts’ energy renovation upgrade project, new lighting has been installed, including on the Elaine and Robert Caldwell Main Stage that allows for new and improved effects. (Olympic Theatre Arts)
Olympic Theatre Arts remodels its building

New roof, LED lights, HVAC throughout

Weekly flight operations scheduled

Field carrier landing practice operations will be conducted for aircraft… Continue reading