Top deputy prosecutor, former judge square off in Pierce County prosecutor race
Two candidates have emerged in this year’s election for Pierce County prosecuting attorney, setting up a race between a longtime deputy prosecutor and a veteran former judge to replace incumbent Mary Robnett. Robnett is not seeking reelection.
The candidates are Coreen Schnepf, 44, the chief criminal deputy in the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office with nearly two decades of experience, and Bryan Chushcoff, 74, who was a Pierce County Superior Court judge for 28 years by the time he retired in 2025.
Both are recognizable from headline-making criminal trials.
Chushcoff presided over the murder and manslaughter trial of three former Tacoma police officers acquitted in the death of Manuel Ellis, an unarmed Black man who died in an encounter with the police. Schnepf was one of two deputy prosecutors who secured a mandatory life sentence for a man who stalked and murdered his ex-girlfriend in Lakewood, a case recently featured in an episode of CBS News’ 48 Hours.
With only two candidates filing by the May 8 deadline, Schnepf and Chushcoff appear to be heading straight for the general election Nov. 3.
The elected prosecutor, a nonpartisan position, is the chief legal advisor to county officials and responsible for prosecuting all criminal and civil actions involving the county and defending it against lawsuits. Pierce County Superior Court, where felony cases are filed, is the second-largest Superior Court in the state. Last year there were 3,721 criminal cases filed, according to state data.
The prosecutor oversees a $94 million budget, the third-most expensive department funded by the county’s general fund, according to budget documents for the 2026-2027 biennium, only behind the Sheriff’s Office’s law enforcement and corrections bureaus. It was budgeted for 266 full-time employees in 2026, including 129 county attorneys. In 2023, Robnett’s annual pay was $217,391.
Schnepf’s messaging stresses her commitment to standing up for crime victims and holding violent offenders accountable. Her campaign website said she helped create a specialized diversion program to support human-trafficking survivors. In a phone call Thursday, Schnepf said her motivation to run for office came from her care for the community and experience seeing how crime affects victims.
“I’ve walked with victims as they’ve had to relive some of the worst moments of their lives,” Schnepf said. “This office needs somebody who knows how important the work is and knows how to do the work and is committed to it.”
Chushcoff’s campaign emphasizes his experience within multiple roles in the justice system and confronting challenges for the Prosecutor’s Office that he says has contributed to a dearth of experienced attorneys. In a phone call, Chushcoff said that there was large turnover due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are now many new people in the office. He said fewer cases are being filed and cases are pending for longer.
“They need mentoring, they need training,” Chushcoff said. “I think that the office could be reorganized in a way that would simplify their lives and make them more effective.”
So far Schnepf has raised $85,539 while Chushcoff has raised $5,040, according to public disclosure reports.
Contributions to Schnepf’s campaign have come largely from individual donors, and about 6 percent have come from businesses, including the law firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, which has offices in Tacoma, Seattle and New York; Tacoma Injury Law Group; and Robnett Consulting LLC. Some notable individual donors are from Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney Chad Enright, Pierce County Council Chair Jani Hitchen, former Democratic state Rep. Larry Seaquist and former Lakewood Mayor Jason Whalen.
Schnepf brings with her the endorsement of Robnett, according to her website. Schnepf’s announcement of her candidacy also included words of support from Rob McKenna, who was the state’s Republican attorney general from 2005 through 2012, and Democratic state Rep. Mari Leavitt, who represents Washington’s 28th legislative district in Pierce County.
Chushcoff’s campaign contributions are split between donations out of his own pocket and a contribution from the owner of Tacoma Injury Law Group.
One challenge Chushcoff said he was suited to address was improving the relationship between the Prosecutor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement.
He said some officers feel it’s unfair the way the Prosecutor’s Office evaluates whether to place an officer on the so-called Brady list of police officers with credibility issues. Chushcoff said there had been interest in creating an independent group to consider whether an officer is placed on the list that would involve defense lawyers. He said he thought it was necessary to look into that idea.
Schnepf said she hopes to be able to build a bridge between the Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement. She said the relationship is essential to their work and that since she became the criminal chief the office has made a concerted effort to further open communication. Schnepf said prosecutors have gone to training events with the Tacoma Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office. She also mentioned that she is married to a law enforcement officer.
“During COVID and with remote work, not meeting in person, things changed in terms of communication between agencies, and so we have been working the last couple of years to sort of bridge that gap,” Schnepf said.
Schnepf was raised in Port Orchard and earned her certified nursing assistant license at age 17, according to her website. She later got a degree in psychology, then graduated from the Seattle University School of Law.
Chushcoff was born and raised in Tacoma. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in business administration, then got his law degree from Seattle University. He operated a solo law practice for 19 years before he was first elected a Superior Court judge in 1996.
