MARTHA BELLISLE

Global investigative reporter

Bellisle is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Washington state. She reports on a range of topics, including police accountability, police training and mental health. She also has covered to Winter Olympics.

JBLM servicemen say the Army didn’t protect them from a doctor charged with abusive sexual contact

Fifteen current or retired Joint Base Lewis-McChord servicemen who say the Army failed to protect them from a military doctor who has been charged with sexual abuse are each seeking $5 million in damages for the emotional distress they say they have suffered.

First officer is convicted of murder since Washington state law eased prosecution of police

A jury has found a suburban Seattle police officer guilty of murder in the 2019 shooting death of a homeless man outside a convenience store.

Washington high court to decide if Seattle officers who attended Jan. 6 rally can remain anonymous

The Washington Supreme Court is considering a case that will determine whether the names of four Seattle police officers who attended events in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, are protected under the state’s public records law.

Jury to begin deliberating in murder trial of suburban Seattle officer who killed a man in 2019

A Washington state prosecutor has told jurors that a suburban Seattle officer who fatally shot a homeless man in 2019 ignored his training and should be convicted of murder.

Nurses in Oregon take to the picket lines to demand better staffing, higher pay

More than 3,000 nurses at six Oregon hospitals have spent a second day on the picket lines as they continued to demand fair wages and better nurse-to-patient ratios.

Off-duty guard charged with killing Seattle-area teen after mistaking toy for gun, authorities say

An off-duty security guard has been charged with second-degree murder by prosecutors who say that he fatally shot a 17-year-old six times in the back as the teen tried to return what the guard believed to be a firearm, but was actually a toy gun, to a sporting goods store near Seattle.

Washington judge denies GOP attempt to keep financial impact of initiatives off November ballots

A judge has ruled that information about how much money three GOP-backed initiatives would cost the state of Washington must appear on the November ballot.

Takeaways from AP investigation into police training on the risks of handcuffing someone facedown

Police across the United States have been warned for decades that the common tactic of handcuffing someone facedown could turn deadly.

Risks of handcuffing someone facedown long known; people die when police training fails to keep up

For decades, police across the United States have been warned that the common tactic of handcuffing someone facedown could turn deadly if officers pin them on the ground with too much pressure or for too long.

U.S. Biathlon orders audit of athlete welfare and safety following AP report on sexual harassment

The U.S. Biathlon board of directors will hire an auditor to review “athlete wellness practices and team culture” after the Associated Press reported that a female team member had been sexually harassed and abused while racing on the elite World Cup circuit.

Sexual harassment on women’s US Biathlon team leads to SafeSport investigation -- and sanctions

U.S. Biathlon national champion Joanne Reid was sexually harassed and abused for years by a ski-wax technician while racing on the elite World Cup circuit, a watchdog group that oversees sex-abuse allegations in Olympic sports found.

Jury clears 3 Washington officers in death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who said he couldn’t breathe

A jury has cleared three Washington state police officers of all criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained face down on a Tacoma sidewalk as he pleaded for breath.

Lawyers and prosecutors make final arguments in trial of 3 Washington state officers

Lawyers for three Washington state officers charged in the death of a Black man who was beaten, shocked and hogtied facedown on a sidewalk have made their final arguments to the jury.

Black man choked and shocked by police died because of drugs, officers’ lawyers argue at trial

Lawyers for three Washington state officers charged in the death of a Black man say Manuel Ellis died from drugs, not excessive force.

Closing arguments start in trial of 3 Washington state police officers charged in Black man’s death

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A Black man who was shocked, beaten and hogtied facedown on a sidewalk pleaded for breath during his arrest in Washington state, and the three police officers charged in his death did not respond to his pleas, a prosecutor told the jury in closing arguments of their trial Monday

A landslide in Alaska has devastated one family, killing three members and leaving two kids missing

Authorities have identified those missing or killed in an Alaska landslide this week as five family members and their neighbor, a commercial fisherman who made a longshot bid for the state’s lone seat in the U.S.

Judge in trial of 3 Washington police officers allows a breathing expert to testify over objections

Five weeks into the trial against three Tacoma, Washington, police officers charged in the 2020 death of Manny Ellis and prosecutors had to convince the judge to let their breathing expert tell the jury what happens to a person who is held face down with pressure on their back.

Officers’ lawyers challenge analysis of video that shows Black man’s death in Tacoma, Washington

Lawyers for three police officers charged in the death of Manny Ellis have challenged a forensic video analyst’s interpretation of videos shot by witnesses that show the Black man’s fatal arrest in Tacoma, Washington.

Prosecutors focus on video evidence in trial of Washington officers charged in Manny Ellis’ death

A forensic video analyst has walked a jury through a cellphone video of the fatal arrest of Manny Ellis.

Jury hears Manuel Ellis’ last words at trial of Washington officers accused in the Black man’s death

Jurors have heard a harrowing description of Manny Ellis’ last moments during opening statements in the trial of three Washington police officers charged in the 33-year-old Black man’s death in 2020.

Washington officers on trial in deadly arrest of Manny Ellis, a case reminiscent of George Floyd

The trial for three Tacoma, Washington, officers charged in a Black man’s death begins this week. Manuel Ellis’ death is reminiscent of George Floyd’s, who begged for his life under the knee of a Minneapolis officer in May 2020.

Trial begins for 3 Tacoma officers charged in death of Manny Ellis

A trial is underway for three Tacoma, Washington, police officers charged in the death of a 33-year-old Black man who was tackled, punched, shocked with a stun gun and held face down on a sidewalk in March 2020.

Canadian firefighters wage epic battle to save communities after mass evacuations

Firefighters battling wildfires in western Canada have received help from reinforcements and milder weather, after the nation’s worst fire season on record destroyed structures, fouled the air with thick smoke and prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

Judge holds Washington state in contempt for not providing services to mentally ill people in jails

A federal judge has found Washington state in contempt and ordered it to pay more than $100 million for failing to provide timely psychiatric services to mentally ill people who must wait in jails for weeks.

Army identifies 3 soldiers killed in Alaska helicopter crash

The U.S. Army has identified the three soldiers who were killed when two helicopters collided in Alaska while returning from a training mission.

TIMELINE: DNA, video lead officials to Idaho suspect

Court documents have been unsealed after the suspect in the November fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students made his first court appearance in Idaho.

Victims of floatplane crash included activist, winemaker

A civil rights activist, a business owner, a lawyer, an engineer and the founder of a winery and his family were among the 10 people killed when a floatplane crashed in the waters of Puget Sound.

Coast Guard ends search for 9 missing in floatplane crash

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for nine people who were missing after a floatplane crashed in the waters northwest of Seattle.

WA pays $2M to workers assaulted at psychiatric hospital

A judge has ordered the state agency that operates Washington’s largest psychiatric hospital to pay more than $2 million to four female health workers who were assaulted by a violent patient who targeted women.

31 Patriot Front members arrested near Idaho pride event

Authorities arrested 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho pride event Saturday after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.