A judge Thursday denied a request that former Vancouver defense attorney Josephine Townsend be relieved from serving a 10-day jail sentence after she failed to report Sept. 5 to the Clark County Jail due to a medical emergency.

However, Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager said she would not issue a warrant for Townsend’s arrest or change her sentence at this time, citing a lack of information on Townsend’s current mental and physical condition.

Townsend’s defense attorney, Vern McCray, said he has been the only person in contact with Townsend during her hospitalization, but he could not share more about her condition due to medical privacy laws.

Assistant Attorney General Jaime Taft, who prosecuted Townsend’s forgery case, said she has doubts about the validity of Townsend’

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