OAK HARBOR, WA – An Island County election observer won’t serve jail time for refusing to wear a mask in 2024, according to a court ruling on Monday.
Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider imposed a mask mandate during the 2024 general election, because nearly half of her staff had previously gotten COVID-19, and and wanted to avoid that during the election. Timothy Hazelo, former chair of the Island County Republican Party, chose not to wear a mask at a voting center in Island County. He was offered a mask, but refused.
On Monday, Judge Joseph Wilson sentenced Hazelo to probation and 40 hours of community service. This ruling came after Hazelo was convicted of a felony in July over his refusal to wear a mask. He faced up to a year in prison for the felony conviction and up to 364 days for the criminal trespass gross misdemeanor.
Judge Wilson also barred Hazelo from being within 100 feet of the Island County Elections Office.
In a video posted following Monday’s court ruling, Hazelo said he will appeal the court’s verdict and criminal case.
“This is just government overreach that needs to be checked, and once checked, then the government knows what its boundaries are,” Hazelo said in a video posted on YouTube.
Fellow election observer Tracy Abuhl was also escorted out of the voting center for refusing to wear a mask. Abhul’s case is still ongoing.
Washington state ended its indoor mask mandate on March 12, 2022, two years after the COVID-19 pandemic began. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.23 million people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19 between Jan. 1, 2020, and Aug. 16, 2025.
