State tells court officer reasonably suspected a domestic-violence situation in Rohrs case

Daniela Bridal, representing the State of Washington, told the panel the record shows Joshua Rohrs "incessantly honking his horn at a woman" outside his vehicle in a parking lot and that the disturbance was escalating as Officer Casablanca approached. Bridal said the officer testified he was concerned the situation could be domestic violence and that the trial court's unchallenged findings support a lawful detention to investigate.

The State acknowledged additional facts might have strengthened the officer's suspicion but emphasized that Terry is not a checklist and that the officer's observations supported a rational inference of possible assault. Bridal urged the court to affirm the convictions or, if the court had concerns about specific evidentiary issues, to remand for the trial court to address attenuation and admissibility questions.