The Cook Who Robbed the Till—and Then Fled to Canada
Newport restaurant man James Warren spent eight months in jail before a plea deal, because the only witness had vanished into British Columbia.
James Warren, who operated a restaurant in Old Town last winter and spring, and who has been in the county jail at Colville for several months to answer to the charge of attempt to murder, was last week sentenced to 60 days in jail. Warren was robbed of the contents of his till by his night cook, and chasing him to this side stabbed the cook, cutting a fearful gash in his face. The cook was held for a time as a witness, but, being released, made his way up into British Columbia, where he is now in jail awaiting trial for attempted train wrecking. As Warren will have spent about eight months in jail and it was impossible to get back the cook to give testimony, Prosecuting Attorney Kirkpatrick agreed to the sentence of 60 days for Warren.
“The cook was held for a time as a witness, but, being released, made his way up into British Columbia, where he is now in jail awaiting trial for attempted train wrecking.”
Warren's case turned on the disappearance of the only witness, leaving a long pretrial detention and a plea to a lesser sentence. Modern courts still wrestle with the same problem: when witnesses flee or disappear, how long should a defendant wait, and what does a plea bargain really settle?
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