Dori exclusive: Seattle lawyer once investigated in rapist husband’s case now a local judge

The case is a mystery — and listeners to The Dori Monson Show are letting us know.

Ten years ago, Danford Grant — who worked for the Seattle Attorney’s Office and was a founding partner at a local law firm — was arrested after a series of violent knifepoint rapes in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood and charged with five of those assaults.

Friends and colleagues who considered him a model husband, father and Little League coach were shocked.

The second shockwave came when Danford Grant’s wife, then-attorney Jennifer Johnson Grant, was investigated for moving his SUV while investigators worked more than 30 days to locate the vehicle. Detectives and prosecutors claimed she hid the vehicle for a month to hamper their investigation while she hid or removed evidence.

After the investigation was completed, Danford Grant – whose attacks involved Asian women who worked in massage parlors – was sentenced to 25 years in prison. By the time he was convicted in 2014, Jennifer Johnson Grant had filed official filings for the divorce, and she was forced to resign from her own position with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office. It is not clear if they are divorced.

Now, a decade later, Johnson Grant has been named the new presiding judge of Lake Forest Park Municipal Court in north King County.

That appointment prompted local residents to ask The Dori Monson Show, “What’s up?”

“I was in disbelief” that Johnson Grant was appointed to the bench, Dori told listeners, “but I really think there are layers to this story that should at least be considered.”

For starters, he noted that Jennifer Johnson Grant was not charged with a crime.

In our show’s research, Lake Forest Park Mayor Jeff Johnson said during a phone call with Dori that Johnson told Grant (the two are not related) that she was “very accommodating” about the 2012 case prior to her recent appointment . Mayor Johnson also praised her legal work over the past decade, adding that Johnson Grant’s character credentials are strong.

But Dori also spoke off-air with a prominent Seattle-area attorney who knew about the case. That source reminded Dori that hiding the vehicle “for a day or two while she was in absolute turmoil was one thing – knowing that she could lose her husband and the father of her children for decades after he got one.” led a secret double life,” the lawyer explains. “But it took 30 days for the car to be hidden from investigators.”

Show listeners, concerned about the level of violence being inflicted on Asian women and believing the 2012 case thwarts Johnson Grant’s impartiality, sent passionate text messages to Dori.

The Dori Monson Show invited Johnson Grant to respond on the show. She replied with this email:

Thank you for reaching out to you regarding your plan to discuss the challenges I experienced in 2012. I have nothing to add at this point and as a judge I am bound by the judiciary’s code of conduct. I consulted a legal ethics expert who advised me that it would be inappropriate to participate in an interview. I can assure you that the Washington State Bar Association has conducted a thorough and exhaustive investigation into the allegations of misconduct. I fully participated and the case was dismissed.

I was accommodating during the application process for this judgeship and of course information was publicly available. I was honored to be appointed by Mayor Johnson and confirmed by City Council. I am proud to serve you and all citizens of Lake Forest Park. I hope this doesn’t detract from the good work of the court and leadership at City Hall.

This story highlighted comments in the line of The Dori Monson Show at 888-973-` (5476).

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