PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Superior Court Judge George Wood told a 35-year-old woman Wednesday morning she was going to go to jail for violating the terms of a court-mandated drug treatment program.
But Travis Louise Dinius, who lives west of Port Angeles, had other plans.
Upon being told she was to spend 16 months in jail for using methamphetamine, she bolted from the courtroom, said Gary Gorss, head of court security.
“She just got up and ran,” he said.
Dinius is the third person to attempt to flee a Clallam County courtroom this year, and the second to be successful.
Gorss said she was able to escape because, other than a parole officer, there were no law enforcement officers in the courtroom.
He said he is the only court security staff person, and was on vacation at the time.
Gorss said there were no jail staff members in the courtroom because Dinius was not in custody when she appeared at the court hearing.
Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict initially said he had authorized overtime for someone to cover for Gorss when he’s on vacation, and that there was no replacement due to an oversight.
Later on Thursday he phoned to say that he found that Gorss took a “floating holiday” and that the security officer and the Superior Court clerk agreed that no replacement was needed since Wednesday was a “light court day.”
Benedict said a deputy will fill in for Gorss next week when Gorss is on vacation.
But Benedict was also blunt that, since Gorss is the only security officer for the county’s five courtrooms, all courtroom escapes can’t be prevented.
“She’s not the first and she won’t be the last,” he said of Dinius.
Benedict said the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have enough funds to hire another court security officer.
He said if there ever is a security issue in the courthouse, as in someone threatening harm, there are always deputies in the Sheriff’s Office, at the north end of the courthouse, to respond.
Gorss said her husband, who was in the courtroom, told her to stop.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
