Forsman will not face felony charges in Superior Court

A former Vancouver City Council candidate who was potentially facing charges in Superior Court for allegedly intimidating a police officer has been exonerated.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu said Wednesday the state will not file felony charges against Justin Forsman, 28, of Vancouver. The case will be handed over to the City Attorney’s Office, which will review it and decide whether to pursue charges in District Court.

Forsman had appeared Monday in Superior Court on suspicion of intimidating a public servant stemming from an incident on Friday. Vu said he reviewed the case, and based upon what he saw, didn’t feel there was evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Forsman committed a felony.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Forsman called 911 Friday to report an unwanted person at 2111 W. 31st St., Vancouver. The affidavit alleged that during the incident, he threatened a woman, identified in court documents as Mary Greene, who is a resident at that location.

Vancouver police Officer Lee Gelsinger, who responded to the scene, said Forsman demanded he remove Greene from the property. Gelsinger said Forsman was yelling and refused to cooperate with his orders, court records said.

Gelsinger wrote in the affidavit that he felt Forsman planned to assault him if Gelsinger didn’t do as Forsman demanded. Forsman was subsequently arrested.

Forsman lost in November to Vancouver Councilman Bart Hansen. He said Wednesday that he still plans to run for public office in 2017.