Primus discusses settlement conferences
By Terry Murry on Monday, January 20th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Umatilla County District Attorney Dan Primus said he is always asked why his office holds settlement conferences in cases involving major crimes. He said there are any number of reasons why.
“Maybe we have lost witnesses,” he said. “Maybe there’s evidence that we no longer have. Maybe there’s an issue that we’re dealing with that might benefit us. Or maybe we take the stance that what this does is it allows finality.”
He said that his office takes settlement conferences as another opportunity to prepare for a trial, not prevent one. He said sitting down with a neutral magistrate and going over the points of the case months before the trial helps in the preparation.
An example he gave is the trial of Alexander Moore, 25, of Irrigon. He is charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon in the shooting death of Shane Allen Shippentower, 34, of Pendleton. Moore’s trial is scheduled for June and a settlement conference will be held next month.
“It gives us the opportunity to see where we’re at, see where are strengths are and see where our weaknesses are,” he said.
Primus said that there could be a settlement reached.
“People ask us why, why do you want to settle,” he said. “Sometimes maybe a settlement is what the victims want us to do.”
Editor’s note: District Attorney Primus was a guest on the Jan. 17 KUMA Coffee Hour. A podcast of the entire show is available at https://omny.fm/shows/coffee-hour-podcast.
