Washington State Trooper Christopher M. Gadd #927 (WSP Facebook screenshot)
I’m not sure if I’m more angry or more numb about yet another criminal justice official hurling a huge insult at America’s law enforcement officers. But here we go again. A judge in Snohomish County, Washington, has reduced bail for an accused illegal alien, cop-killer, from $1 million to $100,000, enabling the suspect to be set free until trial.
But don’t worry. Raul Benitez Santana’s attorneys assured the judge the suspect will not reoffend and will make his court dates. Really?
After you read what happened, tell me how this judge’s decision makes any sense. Oh, wait. It happened in anti-law-and-order Washington State. Now, I get it.
This is from an article at my author site. “On March 2, 2024, Trooper Gadd was on duty on southbound Interstate 5 in Marysville at approximately 3:00 a.m. According to FOX 13 News, ‘investigators say Raul Benitez Santana crashed his car into… [Trooper Gadd] and killed him.’ FOX 13 News obtained probable cause documents which say Benitez Santana had bloodshot eyes and admitted to drinking and smoking weed before driving.”
Also, “A witness said the suspect was driving in the shoulder/breakdown lane as if it were a traffic lane. He estimated Santana’s vehicle at ‘100 miles per hour….’”
Trooper Christopher Gadd, a 27-year-old husband and father, is part of a law enforcement legacy family. His father is also a WSP trooper and his sister is serving in Texas as a DPS trooper.
Prosecutors charged Santana with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Reportedly Santana is an illegal immigrant from Mexico and has a significant criminal history in the U.S., including failure to appear (in court), domestic violence, and drug and traffic offenses.
Independent journalist Brandi Kruse reported that this disgrace is not a surprise under Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s regime. This dictator-in-chief’s anti-law-and-order propensities are well-known in these parts—Sanctuary State.
According to the Lynnwood Times, “On May 21, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee (D) signed legislation making Washington state a Sanctuary State—restricting law enforcement from asking about immigration status and prohibiting both jails and state prisons from complying with ICE detainers. Inslee signed an executive order with similar provisions in 2017.”
Kruse also reported Santana is “a citizen of Mexico, has been here for some time, and thanks to Washington state sanctuary laws, had not been deported despite the fact that he had had several run-ins with law enforcement.”
But it’s what Santana’s lawyers told Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Richard Okrent, which he bought that is bewildering. In a sane country, Santana being in the U.S. illegally would have been enough to deny a bail reduction.
But Santana’s attorneys promised their client would not reoffend while he was out and would attend all court dates. Hey, Judge! What about this guy’s history makes that likely? They also said a lot of his family, including his three kids, live in the area.
Trooper Gadd’s family also lives in the area and will never see their loved one again.
And, according to Kruse, Santana’s attorneys “noted he didn’t have the money to post the $1 million bail.” Hold up (insert screeching brakes here). Isn’t that the point of bail?
They also asserted this illegal alien, protected by so-called sanctuary laws, “is not a flight risk.” I’m guessing they did it with straight faces.
Kruse makes some good observations about Santana’s motivation to flee. “Ten years in prison, or maybe I go back to Mexico. So, to me, the immigration status absolutely matters and should be considered a reason to keep someone’s bail high.”
Laughably, Santana’s attorneys argued to Judge Okrent that, “Mr. Benitez Santana is a longtime member of our community and Washington state is undeniably his home.” I’ll deny it. How can a country that Santana inhabits illegally be “undeniably his home?”
Is it that their reasoning has no logic, or their logic has no reasoning? Whichever, it’s warped thinking that places an accused cop-killer and his family’s interests above a slain trooper, his family, and the community.
The following is an X-Post from Kruse, providing a link to The WA State Patrol Troopers Association calling the judge on his ludicrous ruling. The WSPTA told Judge Okrent, “The decision to lower… [the defendant’s] bail sends a concerning message about the worth of a life and the severity of actions that lead to such tragic outcomes.”
Does anyone think Judge Okrent will notify ICE so that this illegal alien, vehicular homicide of a cop suspect, could be taken into federal custody? No. That would be illegal in Washington. The radicals don’t consider the defendant an illegal (alien) or his alleged crime significant enough (it’s only a cop) to warrant high bail. But they consider anyone who reports Santana to ICE to be “illegal,” and consider that to be a significant enough crime.