Tri-Cities judge must avoid ex-girlfriend for 1 year. New no-contact order issued

A Superior Court judge on leave has agreed to have no contact with his former girlfriend in a modified order that allows him to keep working at the Kennewick justice center.

The anti-harassment order was filed against Judge Sam Swanberg two weeks ago by Sila Salas.

The two were in what Swanberg described as an exclusive and intense dating relationship for about five months before it ended just before Christmas.

Salas, 24, claims that in the month after their breakup, Swanberg, 55, continued to call, send messages, stop by her house or work, and even had his mother talk with her despite her insistence that they were done.

She said it culminated in Swanberg confronting Salas while she sat in her car in the parking lot of her workplace on Dec. 21, then walking through her office in an attempt to see her.

Salas got a temporary order against Swanberg the following day.

“I feel harassed and I am in a lot of distress for the last month. I deserve self peace and to feel safe,” Salas wrote in her petition.

In a hearing Wednesday to determine if it should be permanent, Swanberg “agreed to the no-contact order just so Ms. Salas would feel comfortable at work,” his attorney, John Jensen, told the Tri-City Herald.

Salas was represented by Karla Carlisle with Northwest Justice Project.

Salas is an employee of the Benton County Office of Public Defense. Its office is in Kennewick’s Benton County Justice Center, where Swanberg splits his time between the Pasco courthouse as a Benton-Franklin Superior Court judge.

The temporary order prohibited Swanberg from being within 500 feet of Salas’ residence or workplace, which meant he could not preside over hearings in Benton County.

Court administration immediately started assigning Swanberg to only matters at the Franklin County Courthouse before he went on leave while dealing with the personal civil action.

Swanberg had been the administrative presiding judge for the court, which has a total seven judges and three court commissioners, but was relieved of that duty in the interim.

No-contact order

Jensen said that in Wednesday’s 15-minute hearing before Judge Harold D. Clarke III of Spokane County Superior Court, they discussed modifying the distance at the Benton County Justice Center to allow Swanberg “to conduct all of his business activities without any possibility of running into (Salas).”

The hearing was held virtually with Clarke appearing from Spokane, and Swanberg in the same room as his lawyer.

In the meantime, a temporary order was reissued for 24 hours since the agreed permanent order was not expected to be completed and signed by both parties and the judge until Thursday.

Jensen told the Herald that typically a permanent anti-harassment order is good for one year.

It is not known how soon Swanberg will return to work.

Swanberg — who’s been on the Superior Court bench for just over four years — filed a court document earlier this week saying he mistakenly believed Salas was open to reconciliation and thought they might be able to work things out by talking in person.

Swanberg’s divorce from his wife was finalized last April.

He said he gave Salas a promise ring in mid-October and the two had discussed marriage, with Swanberg planning to propose by Valentine’s Day 2022.

The judge said his last text to Salas mentioned his obligation to disclose their relationship to the Office of Public Defense and the county prosecutor.

Since then, Swanberg wrote, “I have had no further contact or attempted contact with her. At this time, regardless of any orders from this court, I am past any illusion that she wants to reconcile with me.”

Both Swanberg and his attorney, Jensen, made it clear that there were never any allegations by Salas of domestic violence or threats.

The two reportedly met when Salas was employed by the Franklin County Clerk’s Office, which works directly with Superior Court judges.

Salas resigned from that job sometime in the fall and went to work across the river for the Office of Public Defense.

This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 12:52 PM.