A Seattle man accused of threatening to cut out U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott’s tongue now faces felony charges.
King County prosecutors claim Jasper K. Bell made the threat because he was upset that McDermott, D-Seattle, was supporting Hilary Clinton for president. Currently jailed, Bell, 27, has been charged with intimidating a public servant and telephone harassment.
Bell pleaded guilty to the charges in June 2016.
A U.S. District Court judge has now sentenced Bell to two months in prison, three years of supervised release including six months of home confinement, and 240 hours of community service, the Western District of Washington U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today. Part of the community service will be “working with AIDS patients and the poor—two groups Congressman McDermott worked to assist during his career,” according to the U.S Attorney’s Office.
But that’s not all. The judge, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik, also ordered Bell to write a report on McDermott’s career and another on the book On American Soil. From the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
The book investigates how African-American soldiers were wrongly convicted of manslaughter at what was then Fort Lawton in Seattle. Congressman McDermott was instrumental in getting the Army to reopen the investigation, reverse the wrongful convictions and restore the honorable service record of the soldiers. Judge Lasnik said he plans to schedule a hearing after receiving the reports to ensure Bell has used his time on supervision as a learning experience.
More in NEWS
Local (and not-so-local) news from your favorite writers.
