Washington v. Shale (Majority)
Annotate this CaseHoward Shale was an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation. He had family in the Quinault Indian Nation as well. In 1997, Shale was convicted under federal law of raping a child under 12. After Shale was released from prison, he moved to Seattle and registered as a sex offender with the King County sheriff. In 2012, a Jefferson County sheriffs detective began investigating whether Shale had moved to her county without reregistering as a sex offender. At least two officers assisted the detective in her investigation; a Jefferson County sheriffs deputy and a Quinault tribal police officer. Taken together, police reports suggested Shale was dividing his time between the two family homes. Based on the detective's report, the Jefferson County prosecutor charged Shale with failure to register with the county sheriff as a sex offender under RCW 9A.44.130(1)(a). The issue this case presented for the Supreme Court's review was whether Washington State had the power to prosecute an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation living on the Quinault Indian Nation's reservation for failing to register with the county sheriff as a sex offender. The Court found the State indeed had that power.
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