Court reporter conflict of interest
Case 24-1-00253-04 — Chelan County Superior Court — Documented in writing since September 2024
Core allegation
The court reporter who built the official record for approximately the first year of hearings in this case was introduced at the scene of the underlying July 4, 2024 incident as the mother of Jeremiah Johnson — the primary alleged victim and 18-year Operations Manager of RiverCom 911. Defendant recognized her at his very first court date as the sitting stenographer, immediately notified counsel, and was urged not to raise it. Every subsequent appointed attorney received written notice. None raised the conflict on the record. The woman was no longer present as court reporter after defendant sustained written pressure over months — with no disclosure to the court or defendant.
Hearings under compromised record
~12 months
Attorneys notified in writing
4 documented
Raised on the record by counsel
0 of 4
Institutional complaints filed
4 agencies
Email evidence — documented complaint history
The following emails are on file and establish a timestamped record of defendant raising the court reporter conflict in writing across multiple attorneys and agencies. No attorney formally acknowledged the concern or raised it before the court.
Sep 22, 2024
Re: Police Report
To: Justin Titus <heriberto@titushallssellers.com>
“I was absolutely screwed and setup to lock heads by a crooked dispatch center and some unscrupulous folks in the canyon there.”
Earliest documented contact with Titus. Conflict raised verbally at first court appearance.
Feb 10, 2025
Ryan Hell | Chelan Superior Case
To: Justin Titus <justin@titushallssellers.com>
“One of the main reasons this case cannot proceed until I formally have a chance to obtain new counsel: the court staff I pointed out our first day… superior court stenographer. She was actually involved in the rouse.”
Formal written notice to Titus identifying the court stenographer as a participant in the underlying incident. Explicitly named as a reason the case cannot proceed as structured.
Feb 14, 2025
Re: Ryan Hell | More Images — Ethics Concern
To: Justin Titus <justin@titushousersellers.com>
“There was a woman at the scene who was introduced to me and her name I am not quite sure but I IMMEDIATELY recognized her in my first court date as the Stenographer. I attempted to tell my lawyer he urged me not to. Let's call her Barbara for clarity, since I couldn't get her formal name.”
First written identification of 'Barbara' as both the scene participant and the court stenographer. Titus explicitly urged defendant not to raise this concern.
Sep 4, 2025
Status on conflict of interest with court personnel
To: Brian Chase <Bchaselaw@nwi.net>
“I'm still trying to get ahold of you to get an update on what has been done to address the issue of Jeremiah's mother who is the stenographer or I should say was the stenographer for most of the past year although the last appearance she was not there. I have numerous emails to prior counsel and so far nobody has formally acknowledged this concern and it is deeply concerning as the woman has responsibility concerning court records.”
Direct written demand to Brian Chase naming Jeremiah Johnson's mother as the stenographer. Notes she was absent from the most recent appearance — correlating with defendant's written pressure. Documents prior counsel's total non-response.
May 9, 2025
Ethics Complaints Help Sought
To: WSBA <questions@wsba.org>
“There was a woman present who I later recognized as the stenographer in the Chelan County Court. I believe her name is Barbera but I have been unable to identify her and my lawyers have refused to make note of this issue as well. She was introduced to me at the scene as the dispatchers mother.”
Formal ethics complaint to the Washington State Bar Association. Case captioned. Conflict described in full. Sent and received.
Institutional complaints — responses received
Defendant escalated the conflict to external oversight bodies at every available channel. Every complaint was either dismissed without substantive engagement or remains unresolved. This exhaustion of state remedies is a prerequisite for federal habeas relief.
WSBA — Washington State Bar Association
Filed: May 9, 2025
Generic redirect — no substantive engagement
Ethics complaint filed to questions@wsba.org with full case caption and conflict description. Response was a boilerplate referral to general legal aid resources. No investigation opened. No findings issued. File saved as: genericWeCantHelpYouResponseWSBA_May-9-2025.pdf.
U.S. Department of Justice — Civil Rights Division
Filed: May 28, 2025
Intake acknowledged — record number 616411-TZV
Civil rights report submitted via civilrights.justice.gov. Confirmation issued. No further action documented.
U.S. Department of Justice — Civil Rights Division
Filed: January 25, 2026
Intake acknowledged — record number 705740-PNG
Second Civil Rights Division filing. Confirmation issued. No further action documented.
Chelan County Sheriff's Office
Filed: December 15, 2025
Complaint #25-00031 assigned — no substantive response
Internal complaint filed against Chelan County personnel. Complaint number assigned. No investigation findings disclosed to defendant.
Counsel non-response record — ineffective assistance of counsel
Under Strickland v. Washington (1984), IAC requires deficient performance and prejudice. The deficiency prong is documented in writing across four attorneys. The prejudice prong is a court record built by a conflicted officer for approximately one year of proceedings.
Justin Titus
Titus Law
Notified: Sep–Oct 2024 (verbal) / Feb 2025 (written)
Urged defendant not to raise it
Titus explicitly urged defendant not to raise the conflict at the first court appearance. Written demand sent Feb 10 and Feb 14, 2025. Titus subsequently sought to 'part ways' with defendant as client.
Brian Chase
Bchaselaw
Notified: Sep 4, 2025 (written)
No formal acknowledgment — no action taken
Email sent to Bchaselaw@nwi.net with subject line 'Status on conflict of interest with court personnel.' Explicitly noted that 'nobody has formally acknowledged this concern.' No response on the conflict issue.
Sean Esworthy
Kottkamp, Yedinak & Esworthy PLLC
Notified: Multiple written demands 2025
No action taken on conflict
WSBA #42901. Written demands forwarded. Brady motion demanded June 16, 2025. Esworthy confirmed no threats by defendant visible in videos but did not address court reporter conflict.
Jason Wargin
Wargin Law
Notified: Nov 19, Dec 15, 2025 / Jan 4, 2026
"Received. Thank you." — no action
Three separate written demands sent. Standard acknowledgment reply with no substantive engagement on the conflict. Intent to sue disclosed by email. Conflict demand repeated. Zero action.
Controlling law
Washington court rules prohibit any person with a familial, material, or personal connection to the parties or facts of a case from serving as an officer of the court in that proceeding. A family member of the primary alleged victim — present at the scene of the underlying incident — is disqualified on its face.
Under Arizona v. Fulminante, structural errors bypass harmless-error review entirely. A conflicted court reporter who creates the official record is not an incidental irregularity — it is a corruption of the proceeding's foundation. Every transcript she produced is presumptively compromised. Appellate review depends entirely on record accuracy.
The quiet exit — described only as “parted ways,” with no disclosure to the court or defendant — correlates directly with defendant's sustained written pressure. A neutral departure requires no concealment. The correlation is circumstantial evidence of institutional awareness of the problem and remediation without disclosure, which is itself a Brady violation.
Legal pathways
State court
Motion to strike compromised record. Motion for mistrial on structural error grounds. Builds appellate record even if Jordan refuses to hear it.
Federal habeas — 28 U.S.C. § 2241
Structural constitutional violation. Complete remedy unavailable in state court given Jordan's active suppression. State remedies exhausted across WSBA, DoJ (×2), and Sheriff's complaint.
Civil rights — 42 U.S.C. § 1983
State knowingly allowed a conflicted officer to build the official record. Due process violation actionable for damages.
Brady — prosecutorial misconduct
Identity, relationship, and departure of the court reporter are material evidence the state was obligated to disclose. Failure to disclose is an independent constitutional violation.
Source document archive
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What still needs confirmation
Her formal name
Referenced as 'Barbara' or 'Barbera' throughout all written complaints. Appears on every transcript page from year one. Pull from any hearing transcript.
Confirmed family relationship
Alleged and documented in writing as Jeremiah Johnson's mother, introduced at the scene. Court reporter certification records are public — cross-reference against Johnson family.
Complete list of hearings covered
Every transcript she produced is subject to challenge. Full list needed for habeas petition scope and record integrity motion.
Exact departure date
Correlate against date of first written complaint to establish the remediation-without-disclosure pattern. Brian Chase email notes her absence as of Sep 4, 2025.
Case 24-1-00253-04 — Chelan County Superior Court — All facts sourced from defendant's email record and filed documents. Relationship alleged on information and belief pending formal identification of reporter's name from transcript record.