Woman at center of Tacoma TB case eludes authorities, reportedly rides bus, visits casino
A trip to the casino that included use of public transportation is just one detail in the latest court filings involving a local tuberculosis patient defying court orders for treatment and isolation.
Officials with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department have maintained in court filings and in public statements that the woman should comply with court-ordered isolation and treatment for tuberculosis.
On March 2, the woman was found in contempt of orders in Pierce County Superior Court and a warrant was issued for her arrest and involuntary detention at the Pierce County Jail or other qualifying facility for treatment and isolation.
Despite the court action, the woman has reportedly continued to travel from her residence and avoid apprehension, according to new court filings in the case.
The woman, listed in court documents as V.N., has so far not cooperated with her court-appointed monitor or officers with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department assigned to the case, according to the filings.
According to the latest court filings, Chief of Corrections Patricia Jackson said she received a copy of the bench warrant and was assigned “to handle this matter in compliance with the Court’s Orders.”
In the April 3 filing, Jackson reported that she had “directed an officer to surveil the respondent to determine her habits in order to execute the warrant in a safe manner.”
The filing states that the officer “observed a person they believed to be respondent leave her residence, get onto a city bus, and arrive at a local casino.”
It added that in the following days, “the officer continued surveillance only to find respondent was not home.”
It states that the woman’s relatives also had not responded in attempts to contact her, adding that it was believed at this point the woman “is actively avoiding execution of the warrant.”
Surveillance was discontinued “until a later date.”
Jackson, in the filing, says she was assigning an officer to restart the surveillance “in a continued attempt to comply with the Court’s Order and to execute the warrant.”
Meanwhile, court-appointed visitor Suzanne Thompson Wininger, also assigned to help gain compliance, filed a report to the court on April 5, saying no meeting had occurred.
“Since my appointment on March 2, 2023, I have tried to meet with and locate V.N. I have not had any success,” the filing states. “I have sent documents to her and called one family member I have a phone number for.”
She added that she had “maintained contact” with the woman’s attorney and “connected with interpreter services who will interpret all documents and my interview when I am able to meet with her.”
Denise Stinson, communicable disease control program manager for the health department, has been the department’s representing health officer in the case filings, which date back to more than a year ago.
In an April 3 court filing, Stinson said, “Respondent’s failure to comply with the court’s orders requires further action, up to and including detention in Pierce County Jail … .“
The woman faced her first order for quarantine or isolation in mid-January 2022. The court issued subsequent orders through the year, culminating in the March order of contempt and an arrest warrant.
On April 5, Board of Health member Dr. Nicholas Rajacich asked for an update on the case at the board’s meeting.
Nigel Turner, division director of Communicable Disease Control for TPCHD, told the board that no progress had been made in gaining compliance.
“We’ve been working with this individual to get them in compliance with treatment requirements or isolation requirements for tuberculosis,” Turner said.
The person, Turner added, “is still not compliant with the requirements that we have out there and it’s been referred to the Pierce County sheriff to arrange for detention of the individual, which will be the next step.”
“So that hasn’t happened yet. But it sounds like it’s then going to,” Rajacich said.
“Yes, that’s our understanding,” Turner responded.
