KING COUNTY, Wash. — On the heels of the announcement of what King County's Executive is calling "100 Days of Action" against youth gun violence, a member of the county council said he believes a major contributing factor to this violence is being overlooked.
He said kids accused of lower-level crimes, who are being sent to diversion programs instead of courts, are neglecting their responsibility to show up for that program.
"A huge number of people are just ghosting the system never showing up. And that information is not getting back to the prosecutor so that they can be re-charged," said King County Council Vice-Chair Reagan Dunn.
Dunn told KING 5 Wednesday that the County Auditor has now expressed interest in possibly adding to the council's 2025 Work Plan a full audit of their main diversion program for kids accused of crimes, called Restorative Community Pathways.
"This nonprofit-centered diversion with very little transparency causes me, I think, some justifiable concern, and that's why I've called for an audit," said King County Council Vice-Chair Reagan Dunn.
Since 2021, King County taxpayers have given $16 million to Restorative Community Pathways amid a push for keeping kids out of jail. Supporters cited the harm that detention can cause for minors and the costs associated with detention. King County Executive Dow Constantine told KING 5 that putting kids in jail "does not produce good outcomes."
But here's what Dunn says is the problem: of the 889 teens referred to diversion, more than 36% didn't go. Of that group, the majority simply couldn't be located, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
"Some people aren't signing up, some people-- and that's a big chunk, chunk of them-- some people are signing up and then never finishing their assignments," said Dunn.
Those kids are supposed to be immediately sent back to the prosecutor's office, but Dunn said in many cases that's not happening. That is why he said an audit would be appropriate.
Dunn brought up the case in Shoreline from May 31, when a 50-year-old woman was out walking her dog when she allegedly saw a teenager point a gun at a girl. When the woman tried to intervene, she was met by gunfire and killed. 16-year-old Jaden Taylor was later charged with second-degree murder.
What Dunn says is concerning about that case, is that Taylor had previously been referred to the county's diversion program but he never showed up. As the spokesperson for the prosecutor's office told KING 5, that diversion was required under state law.
Still, Taylor did not enroll and was unable to be located, and as Dunn pointed out, later proceeded to become the suspect in a homicide.
"That's why this program needs to be looked at with scrutiny to determine if any of it can be salvaged, or we should throw it back into the trash," said Dunn.
Not all crimes are eligible for diversion programs, like bringing a gun to school, for example. Most referrals are misdemeanors that the prosecutor's office is required by law to send to diversion programs.
KING 5's request for comment from Restorative Community Pathways has not yet been returned.