Auburn Mayor Knew Pastor Admitted to Child Sex Crime. She Asked for No Jail Time Anyway.
It began with a question from the community that felt almost too stunning to be true: Had the mayor of Auburn really intervened on behalf of a pastor who had just pleaded guilty to raping a child?
The answer, we discovered, was yes. Mayor Nancy Backus had indeed supported Joshua Obadiah Headley.
But what we uncovered was a story far more complex than a single letter. It is a story of questionable judgment, apparently coordinated narratives, and a network of civic leaders who appeared to look the other way, allowing Headley to be celebrated by organizations like the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce before he went to prison, and then again almost immediately after his release as he operated under a new identity.
Listen to Seattle's Morning News w/ Charlie Harger and Manda Factor every weekday at 5am on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM or go to MyNorthwest.com to learn more!
