Gov. suspends accepting Arkansas parolees

OLYMPIA, Wash., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Washington's governor said her state won't accept Arkansas parolees until an interstate pact is reviewed and she is assured Arkansas lives up to its duties.

Gov. Christine Gregoire's announcement Wednesday came in the aftermath of the shooting deaths four Lakewood, Wash., police officers Sunday near Seattle, allegedly by Maurice Clemmons, an Arkansas parolee with a lengthy criminal record in that state, CNN reported Thursday. Clemmons was fatally shot Tuesday after leading police on a manhunt in the Seattle area since Sunday.

"I am so troubled that today (Wednesday) I've asked to discontinue, under interstate compact, accepting any individuals from Arkansas until we can have a further review of not only the interstate compact system and whether it's really living up to its responsibilities, but the question of whether Arkansas is living up to its responsibilities and I have a major questions in my head about that," Gregoire said.

Arkansas corrections officials declined to comment to CNN about Washington's decision but a spokeswoman said Arkansas followed protocol.

Clemmons was able to bail out of jail on child rape and police assault charges just days before the slayings because an Arkansas warrant seeking his arrest was never passed on to Washington officials, two Washington law enforcement officials told SeattlePI.com.

Under a nationwide agreement, Washington supervises about 2,500 parolees from other states, including 15 from Arkansas, the state Department of Corrections said. Other states supervise about 1,000 Washington parolees under the same agreement.