Report: Sheriff Urquhart will not be charged for alleged groping
Dec 1, 2017, 2:50 PM | Updated: 2:54 pm
Sheriff John Urquhart. (KIRO 7)
(KIRO 7)
King County Sheriff John Urquhart will not be charged for allegedly groping a former King County deputy.
RELATED: Charges recommended for Sheriff Urquhart
The Seattle Times reports that the Snohomish County prosecutor is declining to file a criminal case. Renton police conducted a two-month long investigation into an allegation that Urquhart groped a former deputy outside a Renton restaurant in 2014. Police forwarded the results of that investigation, stating detectives found probable cause.
Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe won’t take the case further, stating in a letter:
In my opinion, and that of other Senior Special Assault Unit deputies I have discussed the case with, the incident as described by the alleged victim simply doesn’t constitute Indecent Liberties.
Roe also said that even if he believed the allegations were true, the recommended charge of Indecent Liberties doesn’t fit. He said that Assault in the Fourth Degree with Sexual Motivation is more apt in this case, but it is too late to consider that charge — the statute of limitations has already passed.
Urquhart had denied the allegation, as well as another allegation he raped a deputy 14 years ago, saying that they were politically motivated during an election season. Urquhart lost the November election to Mitzi Johanknecht.
