Fugitive Returned to Face Desertion Charge
After eluding local authorities for months and facing a forgery conviction in Portland, a Hanford man is brought back to Benton County.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Deputy Sheriff J. C. McClelland arrived in Kennewick Tuesday night from Portland with Lester Cox, of Hanford, who is wanted in this county on a charge of wife desertion. Cox, who several months ago eluded capture and left the county, was recently arrested in Portland for forgery. After being convicted and sentenced on this charge, he was paroled so that he might be turned over to Benton County officers. In order to bring Cox back, it was necessary for Deputy McClelland to make a trip to Olympia and to Salem to secure extradition papers. Cox’s wife and two small children are at Hanford, and the county has been contributing to their support from the indigent relief fund.
“After being convicted and sentenced on this charge, he was paroled that he might be turned over to the Benton county officers.”
This story highlights the historical role of the 'indigent relief fund' in supporting families abandoned by breadwinners. While modern social safety nets like TANF have replaced these local county funds, the struggle for child support enforcement and the intersection of criminal law with domestic abandonment remains a persistent issue in Washington state courtrooms.
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