‘This is an Outrage’ – Sheriff Peter Reacts to Tillikum Ferry Captain’s Remarks in Court

A CNL2 VIDEO IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE

This morning, San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter asked to make a statement on CNL2; we were happy to oblige.

The subject is Washington State Ferries.

First, the Sheriff described the kind of problems the Sheriff’s department is experiencing with the unreliability of ferry service in the San Juans.

Second, and more urgently, Sheriff Peter expressed his strong feelings about remarks made in Superior Court recently by Albert Brant, a captain of the #4 inter-island Tillikum vessel operated by Washington State Ferries. Brant is the father of Richard Alexander Brant, 35, of Friday Harbor, who has been charged with four counts of possessing explicit images of children. (All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.)

Captain Brant appeared in court in his WSF uniform and mentioned the ferry system repeatedly. The hearing was held so the judge could decide on the size of a bail bond for the defendant. If the bond could not be obtained, the defendant may have been detained in an Island County or Skagit County facility.

At issue was the size of the bail bond.

In the courtroom, Brant said, “I live right up the road. I live on a farm. My son could be helping me on my farm. I need his help right now rather than languishing in a jail that’s not even going to be in this county. It would be a hardship for me to be able to see him if he’s going to be in Island County or Skagit County. You understand what a ferry ride takes to get over there and back, and it would take me out of a day at work. If I’m not working, the ferry’s not running here, Okay?”

Captain Brant said the proposed $500,000 bond was “quite onerous.”

Sheriff Peter said he was offended the minute he heard Captain Brant’s comments in court.

Peter said, “…for the defendant’s father to show up in court in full Washington State Ferry uniform, and not only downplay the incident, but then somehow insinuate that if his son is held in an offsite facility on bail if he’s not here the ferries aren’t run in here.

I spoke to other colleagues in the Law and Justice building over there, who are just as outraged as I was. And one of them, as well as I, commented that if this had been one of our employees in uniform acting under the guise of my position or their position in the agency making comments like this, this would be dealt with swiftly and harshly.”

The Sheriff said, “I’m here because, I haven’t always been in the position I’m in now. I have been the little guy for a long time. This is something our community needs to know about, and someone needs to stand up for them and to somehow insinuate that our (ferry) service would be affected by this is an outrage.”

This CNL2 video is approximately 13-1/2 minutes in duration.