WSU, Pullman police sergeants under investigation for sexual misconduct

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Two police officers are under investigation after an 18-year-old Washington State University student claimed she was sexually assaulted by a law enforcement officer. 

One of the sergeants works for the Pullman Police Department, the other for the WSU Police Department. Officials from both agencies confirmed Wednesday that the sergeants are on paid administrative leave. The Washington State Patrol is conducting a criminal inquiry, and internal investigations may follow.

Details of the student’s allegation were not immediately available Wednesday, and it wasn’t clear if she had specified which sergeant allegedly assaulted her.

A search warrant filed Monday in Spokane County Superior Court indicates both sergeants made contact with the student after she was out drinking on the night of March 30th. The warrant lists a potential charge of “custodial sexual misconduct in the first degree.”

On April 6th, the student filed a complaint with WSU’s Office for Equal Opportunity, which is bound by a federal law mandating student confidentiality. While the office could not disclose details of the complaint, it did notify the campus police department, which immediately placed its sergeant on leave.

Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said he suspended the other sergeant on April 13th, the day the department was notified about the complaint by WSU police. (Spokesman-Review)

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