No Coincidence
Another individual with a multi-county criminal record enters local courts and services
Clallam County residents are once again being required to absorb the consequences of decisions made elsewhere — by neighboring jurisdictions, by court systems, and by policies that prioritize services without accountability. The recent booking of a man with a documented history of violence, weapons involvement, and repeated arrests raises uncomfortable but necessary questions: Why do these cases keep landing here, and why does the public consistently come last?
The Latest Booking
Yesterday, 32-year-old Mohabo Aliyu Boughton was booked into the Clallam County Jail on a charge of Criminal Trespass in the First Degree. Given Clallam County’s well-documented catch-and-release practices, it is reasonable to assume that Boughton may already be back on the street, or soon will be.
Ordinarily, a single trespass charge might not draw much attention. But public safety concerns change when that charge is viewed in the context of a long and troubling record in neighboring counties — one that includes allegations of violence, weapons possession, repeated trespassing, theft, and resistance to arrest.
This is not about presuming guilt. It is about recognizing patterns that policymakers continue to ignore.
A Violent Incident on a Public Trail
In March 2018, the Peninsula Daily News reported on an attempted assault on the Larry Scott Memorial Trail in Jefferson County, one of the region’s most heavily used public recreation corridors.
According to law enforcement accounts, a woman riding her bicycle was allegedly confronted by a man wielding an orange baseball bat, who attempted to strike her. She escaped unharmed and contacted 911. Deputies later located Mohabo Boughton, who was reportedly carrying both the bat and an 8-inch fixed-blade knife.
Boughton was arrested on suspicion of felony assault and unlawful carrying of a weapon, booked into Jefferson County Jail, and held on bail. Authorities noted that the victim’s situational awareness likely prevented serious injury.
According to reporting by the Port Townsend Leader, when questioned following the incident, Boughton told officers, “You are arresting me because I’m a black man.”
Law enforcement reports and court records related to the case cite the reported attempted assault, the presence of the baseball bat and knife, and Boughton’s location on the trail as the basis for the arrest.
A Pattern of Repeat Contacts
Court and jail records show that Boughton has had numerous interactions with law enforcement over several years:
2017: Booked into Jefferson County Jail for interfering with a health care facility.
2018: Arrested following the Larry Scott Trail incident involving a bat and knife.
2020: Booked again in Jefferson County for Assault in the 3rd Degree and Criminal Trespass.
May 2025: Charged in Jefferson County Superior Court with Burglary in the 2nd Degree, Theft in the 3rd Degree, Resisting Arrest, and Obstructing a Law Enforcement Officer following a theft at a Port Townsend grocery store.
Police reports from that incident describe a foot pursuit, verbal provocations toward officers, refusal to comply with commands, and physical resistance during arrest.
Washington court records list 22 separate cases over 10 years associated with Boughton across Jefferson, King, and Whatcom counties.
Publicly available social media profiles appearing to belong to Boughton indicate that he identifies himself as being from Ethiopia and that he studied at Shoreline Community College, prior to spending time in Bellingham, Port Townsend, and now Clallam County.
Taken together, these records show repeated law enforcement and court involvement across several counties over a number of years.
From Jefferson to Clallam
The movement of individuals with significant criminal histories from Jefferson County into Clallam County is not new.
Residents will recall other high-profile cases involving individuals with prior Jefferson County ties who were later arrested in Clallam County for serious offenses. Aaron Fisher, currently awaiting trial in Clallam County for the alleged fatal assault of Richard Madeo during the Sequim Irrigation Festival, was a Port Townsend resident at the time of the incident.
Similarly, Joshua Keele, who was later arrested in Clallam County on charges including forgery, criminal impersonation, and identity theft, had a documented history in Port Hadlock, Jefferson County, prior to his arrest here.
Public reporting has also noted that when large encampments were dismantled in Port Townsend, officials openly referenced available shelter capacity in Port Angeles as a destination for displaced individuals.
The message, whether intentional or not, was clear: Clallam County would absorb the overflow.
This raises a legitimate public interest question: At what point does “regional cooperation” become cost-shifting without consent?
Intersections Worth Noting
Boughton is currently represented by Jefferson Associated Counsel.
That public defense firm employs Navarra Carr, a sitting Port Angeles City Councilmember.
Carr’s professional background includes extensive work in homelessness services, NGO administration, land trusts operating across Jefferson and Clallam counties, and indigent defense.
There is no allegation of wrongdoing. No ethical breach is implied.
However, it is reasonable for the public to observe that many of the institutions shaping homelessness policy, public defense, land use, and criminal justice on the Olympic Peninsula are deeply interconnected — often operating across county lines while decisions and consequences are felt most acutely at the local level.
These overlapping systems frequently advocate for expanded services, reduced enforcement, and lower thresholds for release — while the downstream impacts land squarely on residents, businesses, transit users, and taxpayers.
Who Bears the Cost?
Clallam County is not an affluent jurisdiction. It is economically strained, geographically isolated, and already struggling to fund core services.
Yet it continues to offer:
Free transit
Free meals
Free drug paraphernalia
Low-barrier, luxury homeless housing
Minimal enforcement
Repeated releases without meaningful intervention
When individuals with documented histories of violence, drug abuse, and resistance to law enforcement arrive here, the public assumes the risk — and the public pays the bill: for courts, emergency response, medical care, cleanup, security, and long-term social strain.
Compassion without accountability is not compassion. It is surrender.
A Common-Sense Path Forward
This problem is not unsolvable.
Clallam County leaders can begin by:
Refusing to serve as the default landing zone for neighboring counties’ unresolved criminal and homelessness problems, and insisting on clear regional accountability instead of passive intake.
Providing the public with transparent, regular reporting on how many repeat offenders entering the local justice system originate outside Clallam County, and from which jurisdictions.
Ending the revolving door by applying meaningful, consistent consequences for individuals who repeatedly violate the law.
Prioritizing the safety of residents, workers, transit users, and victims over political messaging or ideological commitments.
Requiring that publicly funded services be paired with accountability — including treatment, supervision, and enforcement — rather than unlimited assistance followed by release back onto the street.
Call to Action
Residents have the right — and responsibility — to ask their elected officials a simple question:
Who is Clallam County’s criminal justice system designed to protect?
If the answer continues to exclude the public, then policy — not crime — is the real problem.
Citizens should contact county commissioners, city councilmembers, and prosecutors and insist that public safety, transparency, and accountability be restored — before the next preventable incident forces the issue.
Community Spotlight: A Classic Kind of Christmas
The Sequim Museum is bringing back a beloved local tradition — and they’re doing it the old-fashioned way: with volunteers, neighbors, and community support.
No grant chasing. No new taxes. No six-figure salaries.
Just people who care about preserving the historic Dungeness Schoolhouse and are rolling up their sleeves to make it happen.
Today only!
📍 The Old Dungeness Schoolhouse
2781 Towne Road
🕚 Saturday, December 13 | 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Enjoy a Christmas Tea & Bake Sale, featuring tea and coffee, sweet treats, light holiday entertainment, and the rare chance to explore a 1893 schoolhouse.
It’s a perfect excuse to slow down, bring a friend, and take a holiday break in one of Clallam County’s most charming historic buildings. Whether you’re a longtime local or new to the area, this is a special opportunity to experience a piece of our shared history — and help keep it standing.
This is community preservation at its best. Hope to see you there.
Today's email to the county commissioners:
Dear Commissioners,
Why do you think out-of-town criminals keep arriving in Clallam County?
All three commissioners can be reached by emailing the Clerk of the Board at loni.gores@clallamcountywa.gov.
Great solutions list! Amazing how our current leaders have zero interest in the public good...