Other LanguagesCOLFAX - Bruce L. Grass, a former assistant marshal for the City of Palouse, was charged today in Whitman County District Court with one count of first-degree criminal trespass stemming from an incident in the Town of Garfield on the evening of Aug. 24, 2002.
Grass, 49, is accused of entering a Garfield residence through a window without the resident's permission and without first obtaining a search warrant. At the time of the incident, he was assisting a Garfield marshal investigating a report of an underage person in possession of alcohol.
First-degree criminal trespass is a gross misdemeanor that carries maximum sentence of one year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine. No arraignment date has been set.
Whitman County Prosecuting Attorney Denis P. Tracy requested the assistance of the Attorney General's Office in investigating the case against the local officer.
-30-