A Thurston County Sheriff's Office patrol deputy has been terminated for failing to investigate a domestic violence incident and misrepresenting material, the sheriff’s office announced Wednesday.
“It is the expectation of Thurston County Sheriff's Office that employees fully investigate and accurately document incidents of domestic violence as set forth by RCW, case law, policy, and ethics,” TCSO said in a news release.
The deputy, whose name has not been released, was on administrative leave when he was terminated on Tuesday, Sept. 15, according to the sheriff’s office.
TCSO has also notified the Criminal Justice Training Commission on the circumstances of the deputy’s termination, and delivered a Brady notice to the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office.
The deputy’s termination is tied to a July investigation into a missing person who disappeared under suspicious circumstances, according to TCSO.
TCSO began investigating the case on July 14. During the investigation, detectives reviewed bodycam footage from two days prior, July 12, when the missing person was involved in a domestic violence incident with her partner.
“The patrol deputy in question responded,” TCSO said in a news release.
During this patrol deputy's investigation, the woman reportedly “disclosed a physical assault and threats made by her partner earlier in the day.”
The deputy reportedly “did not investigate further, did not write a case report,” and falsely noted in the call log that the woman had “stated no assault, no property damage, no threats".
Said TCSO, “This was determined to be an untruthful misrepresentation of fact. The woman then went missing under suspicious circumstances two days later.”
Deputies and detectives subsequently located the woman, unharmed, on July 15.
The deputy was placed on administrative leave after detectives reviewed the body cam footage from July 12.
An internal investigation found that the allegations were “substantiated,” leading to the deputy’s termination.
The organization representing the deputy has filed a grievance demanding the deputy be reinstated, according to TCSO.
“If the termination decision is overturned, a subsequent press release will follow,” TCSO stated in a news release.
