Wenatchee v. Stearns, No. 102680-3 (May 15, 2025) - Division III reversed and we win!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OPINION

Alright folks - the long-awaited opinion is out and we have a return to normalcy!

The opinion in Wenatchee v. Stearns is out!  And we won – As we already knew, 911 callers are presumed reliable in the informant-tip analysis.  This is a DUI case out of Div-III which caused potentially HUGE problems in that the panel essentially treated a 911 caller like a snitch and required that a responding officer make contact with that RP to corroborate observations and establish reliability (this would render many 911-based investigations tough to prove).  Luckily, that law doesn’t stand and we have a return to normalcy.

See below for rundown on that case:

- Cheers!

Brad & Michelle