Embattled Spokane deputy prosecutor resigns

The Spokane County deputy prosecutor linked to a convicted felon by thousands of text messages and a bikini photo resigned today. Marriya Wright has been on administrative leave since April 21, after investigators searched a jail cell belonging to Matthew Baumrucker and uncovered evidence the two were meeting frequently at the Spokane County Jail. Witnesses also said Wright drove Baumrucker in her personal car after a warrant was issued for his arrest and did not inform police. Federal authorities are involved in the investigation. Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy, who was called in to initially review the evidence, said additional charges for Wright would be handled at the federal level. Spokane County spokeswoman Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter said Wright’s attorney dropped off a voluntary letter of resignation at the Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday. Prosecutor Steve Tucker immediately accepted the resignation, Wheatley-Billeter said. No criminal charges have been filed against Wright. She made about $83,000 last year, according to budget analysts with the county. Baumrucker remains in custody at the Spokane County Jail awaiting trial on federal charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.