SEATTLE (AP) — The King County Sheriff's Office says a detective was suspended for four days without pay after an internal investigation determined she punched, kicked, scratched and slapped an Uber driver while she was off duty.
King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht said this week that detective Janette Luitgaarden would serve the suspension for unbecoming conduct in the Nov. 4, 2017 incident.
The Washington State Patrol says Luitgaarden appeared significantly intoxicated after she attacked the driver while the car was southbound Interstate 405.
A police report says that Luitgaarden began yelling that she was being kidnapped while in the vehicle and tried to jump out of the moving car. The report says she attacked the driver after the driver grabbed her arm to keep her from jumping.
Luitgaarden's union representative said she was experiencing personal problems that night and was embarrassed by her actions.
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In August 2012 Detective Luitgaarden filed a claim for damages of $1.5-million - $3-million against the King County Sheriff's Office claiming sexual and gender based harassment, unfair criticism of her work product, and threats of retaliation...
Nobody is excusing Detective Luitgaarden's attack on the Uber driver, but there may be issues within the King County Sheriff's Office that are resulting in highly inappropriate conduct by its deputies.
As another example, in August 2017, Detective Richard Rowe, who was in plainclothes and driving an unmarked car, pulled a gun on a motorcyclist whom he claimed was driving recklessly. The King County Sheriff is currently being sued because of Detective Rowe's misconduct.
When members of a police department are subjected to regular and re-occurring harassment, when leadership does nothing to stop that harassment, and when the victims of this harassment are subjected to sanctions, restrictions, and retaliation for reporting misconduct within the department - even the most stable person may be driven over the edge.
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