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Subscribe to RSSA Washington state jailer whose wife discovered through Facebook that he had married a second woman has pleaded guilty to attempted bigamy.
Alan O'Neill, 42, of Graham, was charged in March after his first wife learned of his second wife through a Facebook "people you may know" notification and alerted authorities.
The second woman's profile photo showed her with O'Neill, dressed up and standing near a wedding cake, The Tacoma News Tribune reported Friday.
O'Neill, who was accompanied to court Thursday by the second woman, told Superior Court Judge Beverly Grant he never meant to commit a crime.
"I've never done anything intentionally wrong in my life," he said.
O'Neill was spared jail time but will be on probation for a year. The charge is a gross misdemeanor.
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He has annulled his second marriage and is divorcing his first wife.
O’Neill married his first wife in 2001, when he was known as Alan Fulk, The News Tribune reported in March. The couple split up eight years later, but the pair never divorced, the newspaper reported. Last December, he reportedly petitioned to have his name changed to O’Neill before marrying his second wife.
O'Neill's first wife seems to have forgiven him. She wrote a letter of support, saying that the media coverage has been enough punishment.
Related: Man charged with bigamy after wives' Facebook encounter
"He just made a bad decision that hurt a few people's feelings and (brought) embarrassment to himself," she wrote.
O'Neill's lawyer, Philip Thornton, told the judge his client tried to get a divorce from his first wife before he married the second one. O'Neill trusted a neighbor to process his divorce through Lincoln County, but the neighbor didn't file the paperwork, Thornton said.
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"Mr. O'Neill failed to follow through on that," Thornton said. "He is extremely embarrassed and remorseful."
O'Neill's future as a Pierce County corrections officer remains in question.
He is on unpaid leave. Sheriff Paul Pastor, who oversees the jail, will evaluate the results of an internal affairs investigation before deciding whether to allow O'Neill, on the job for five years, to come back to work, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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And homosexuals would ruin the institute of marriage??
Heterosexuals have had a great run doing it themselves. I don't think Gays could ruin it any further.
If same-sex marriage is coming our way, what's wrong with a man marrying two women ?
How does my polygamous marriage affect your life?
If you don't like polygamous marriage, don't do it.
Because taxes can be based on marriage (two people). Allowing more than two requires a big reworking of the 'married' tax code and other governmental logistics, for starters.
Second, why one man to many women? Why not one woman to many men? Or does that not play into your sexual fantasy?
Because, Xabre, if a child was conceived in the polygamy marriage, you would need to know who the parents are. If a man has even 10 wives, and they all got pregnant, even without modern science we would know who the mother and the father was. Switch roles and have a woman married to 10 men and let her get pregnant. Which of the 10 husbands are the father? Should DNA test be required for every pregnancy? That sounds expensive and impractical.
@Bebop...That's the only reason you have for it not also being women marrying multiple men????
Right, because women NEVER cheat.
"Why not one woman to many men?"
Men don't share.
Sounds like the first wife was just being vindictive in reporting it. Eight years apart should be considered a 'common law divorce' in my book.
This story is not newsworthy. The headline made it seem much more interesting than it is. He is just a slacker that didn't do his paperwork.
Morally, there is nothing wrong with polygamy as long it involves consenting adults. The problem is that it generally involves girls who cannot choose for themselves who grow into women who are trapped or coerced or brainwashed. Society also often pays for the 'single' mothers and their children to live. The weddings to every wife (after the first) are not legal and so on paper it appears to be a single mother with children who is eligible for welfare, etc... The rest of society pays for children to be raised in this cycle of ignorance and abuse.
The tax code is the problem, there should be no special class created by marriage period.
How many parents have raised children that ended up cosying society that got an EIC etc? We can't make them pay it back so don;t give it to them in the first place.
If the first wife and him had been seperated for 8 years and she really didnt care if he had remarried then why should we? I think she was concerned more about still being married to him rather then him getting married again.
However he should have double checked with the court first seeing as he never got divorce papers from Lincoln county before remarrying. Oh and dont forget to smack his friend on the head once or twice for screwing up the paperwork. oopsy dude!
Yeah, right..... It doesn't matter if he and his first wife were "separated" or not. They were still legally married at the time. He knew at the time that having two spouses at the same time is wrong, and he did it anyway, which means he intentionally did something he knows is wrong. And with his being a cop -- he should get at least the full year in prison for it.
Ummmm.... Really? If a married woman gets pregnant, how the hell do you REALLY know who the father of the child really is -- unless the woman happens to be locked away in a cell somewhere with absolutely zero access to anyone except the husband?
I guess people like you have never, ever, heard of something called "the extra-marital affair".
There is no difference between homosexuality and have sex with sheep.
A lot of people get the facts wrong. He married in 2001 and separated 8 yrs later (2009), so he is actually separated for 2 to 3 yrs.
Having said that, to me divorce is only a formality. If a couple has been separated for 1 yr or more, they are as good as divorced in my book. This should really be something like a traffic ticket rather than probation.The law is too inflexible
Hummmmmmmmmm ... What's the big deal? And "Attempted Bigamy"? lol .. Either your a bigamist or not How in the hell do you "Attempt Bigamy ?
The man was separated from his wife for over a year (3 years?) .. In the interim he changes his name to O'neil meets another woman; and instead of just living with her (what most people do today), marries her. The first wife ( who allegedly doesn't care) gets wind of it and goes to the authorities ... and the poor slob gets clubbed by the law ... Why? ... who has suffered here? what harm was done?
Society is screwed up .. by such nonsensical rules ... He can live with her the rest of his life .. giving her a vest interest as "common Law" But if he marries her he's a criminal? LOL
Thank goodness we have laws instead of "in my book"opinions.
Let me see if I have this straight. The man separates from his wife. He supposedly asks his neighbor to mail his divorce in. He doesn't follow through on it. He changes his name and gets married again. He then posts the wedding pictures on Facebook. Wife #1 just happens to know the same people as he.
Either he's in casts and has several bruises since he can't take one step in front of the other, or this was deliberate. If this is truly unintentional, he's w-a-y too thick to work at a jail.
terms of probation: the defendant must cohabit with both wives simultaneously for the entire year. Penalty for violating probation- each of the mothers-in-law joins him.
If they would just make divorce a sacrement this sort of thing would never happpen.
This is a waste of time, tax payer dollars, and resources. Yes the idiot was stupid and should have done the right thing, but wasting resources prosecuting this moron is a shame.
I have the same problem with my husband. Hope he learned his lesson..
Why divorce in Lincoln County, WA if you're a resident? Lincoln County allows Divorce-by-Mail, without even having to step foot in a court room. I know, my Father tried to divorce my Mother in Lincoln County although they were both residents of another county.
Washington needs to update it's laws, both to require the petition to be filed through their petitioner's county, but to disallow divorce-by-mail.
Washington needs to define its laws, first. WTF is "attempted bigamy?"
It's a lesser charge than the completed crime of bigamy. In plea agreements, it's very common to plead to a lesser charge because it makes possible the imposition of a lighter, agreed-to sentence.
To put it in terms that would apply where I am, imagine a person commits an armed robbery. Armed robbery here has a mandatory minimum 5 year prison sentence. But let's say it was a first time offender, no one was hurt, and the money was all recovered when he was arrested. If the robber is willing to save the prosecution the expense of going through with a trial and appeals, the DA may be willing to ask for a lighter sentence, maybe just a couple of years. But to get that, the charge would have to just be robbery, not armed robbery.
I'm sure that's what's going on here, because clearly, this poor fellow completed the crime of bigamy.
In Washington state you can file for, and get, a divorce without making a court appearence in Lincoln county whereas other counties you have to go to court. Its all done by mail. I dont think there is a problem with it I just think that people need to double check if they dont get the papers within a certain period of time. As long as your a state resident it can be really convenient for alot of people who cant get around.
The divorce has to be, pretty much, a non contested divorce to go through Lincoln county so how would he not know if his first wife had'nt signed the papers?? She would have had to in this instance so I'm pretty sure she would remember signing them... he maybe fibbing alittle here.
Did this guy really think that nobody would find out?! Social networking folks!!!!! Everybody is bound to find out something - LOL.
PS - I think this guy knew he wasn't divorced!!!!!!
LOL, "People you may know" ... the irony in the origin of the information source.
What happened to don't tread on me? Oh, it's ok if it's christian sharia...gotcha. I say live and let live.
Okay. First, you wanted to divorce Wife #1, but didn't feel you should have to take the time to do it yourself. Classy.
Second (got parts of this reading the original story from March), Wife 1 and Casanova separated in 2009 and he moved out. After more than 2 years away she sees evidence he's married another, confronts him about it, and alerts authorities after he tells her to keep quiet while he fixes it. Now she's decided to forgive him and written a letter of support. What?
What was their relationship in all that time that she would get upset enough to report it? Had she made any attempts at divorcing him herself, or some sort of reconciliation? This is all kinds of messed up and needs more information.
Bizzer, was thinking the SAME THING!!!
It left me confused as well Bizzer. Seems like a simple mistake and a spiteful ex-lover.
The story may not have a third leg to stand on...............
And he is a cop too?
Nope just a jailer: Not the same thing.
Jailer is only one step away from the other side.
Come on people! Dot the Is and cross the Ts.....don't ask the neighbors to do it for you.
Attempted Bigamy? LOL
Attempted Bigomy??? He married his second wife and never devorced his first wife. I dont call that ATTEMPTED, it is successful Bigomy.
Slow news day I think.
Very slow, unless you're reading about the killings in the middle east.
STUPID
Attempted bigamy is like being "kind of" pregnant isn't it???
Or gonna get a divorce too I would guess???
I created a facebook page for my dad who never uses it. I recently married him via facebook status. Somebody stop me before I ruin the sanctity of facebook marriage status/
why would you marry your father on Facebook? You have issues beyond just "bigamy"...
There was an article last year about Mexico considering an expiring marriage licence. After two or three years it would expire unless you renewed it.
sounds great that way the state can charge you again and again,sort of like a sin tax,,,,
An illegal Hispanic man I meet through an employer told me he was married to a woman in Mexico and has a wife in the United States. He told me they have never met and know nothing about each other. He told me because he is illegal he is paid cash and his American wife has no idea how much he makes so he sends some to his wife and kids in Mexico. How common is this?
He has to be a member of Romney's Polygamist Mormon election team or a UPSTANDING Christian spewing hate - ops they're the same thing.
What we know is O'Neill is incredibly stupid. No legal process is complete until you sign and see final documentation from the court. So he gives his friend divorce paperwork to file and ASSUMES it was taken care of? HA HA HA If you give me money to go to the store to buy groceries for you and I never come back with the groceries, why would you conclude I did your shopping?
It seems like this guy was guilty of stupidity and the first wife is definitely messed up too. I can't say he's really, truly guilty of polygamy since I don't think it was his intention to be married to two people at once. Plus, it wasn't as if he was trying to lead two lives with two families or share a house with two woman! Now that is what I could call "real" polygamy. Sure the guy was an @!$%# and yes his stupidity broke the law. But was he committing polygamy in the true sense of the word? Probably not.
Thought it would ba a story about Romney.
Can we say, "bonehead move"?? This dude worked for the POLICE in some capacity...and attempted this nonsense? WTH?! Was getting a divorce THAT hard? Come on! He should be fired. How can you, in good conscience have a law enforcement officer on the payroll that is a convicted criminal...and of something SO STUPID!!! That was just unnecessary dumbness.
A prison correctional guard is not a police officer, last time I checked. Like some poster mentioned above, there's only a thin line that separates them and the criminals they watch over.
kops, judges n' prosecueturrz take care of their own uno!!!
What a warped and immoral country we have become. Where bigamy, lying, stealing, cheating as well as homosexuality and lesbianism are sinful/wrongful acts in the Bible. All of which will get you arrested, except being and doing what homosexuals and lesbians are.
What do you call having ONE wife? monogamy
What do you call having TWO wives? bigamy
What do you call having THREE or more wives? stupidity or insanity
More than one wife, you are just asking for punishment.
Much ado about nothing. Besides, people should be allowed to have more than one spouse if they feel like it. It's none of the government's business.