(Pullman, WA) More information is being made public regarding civil allegations against Pullman’s Police Chief.
Jake Opgenorth was placed on administrative leave by the city administrator and mayor on December 17th. The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office reported a personal matter involving Opgenorth to city officials the same day he was placed on leave. The Washington State Patrol is now investigating. No additional information about what troopers are investigating has been released to the public.
Three days after Opgenorth was placed on leave a Pullman woman filed a civil protection order against him in Whitman County Superior Court. The petition was initially filed by the woman under seal. Judge Gary Libey granted her request Wednesday in court to unseal those documents.
The documents outline the woman’s allegations against Opgenorth. During Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Libey was told that Opgenorth and the woman had a relationship for years. The court documents show that Opgenorth allegedly acted aggressively towards the woman during their relationship and harassed her after their break up. She filed the civil protection order petition in fear of what Opgenorth might do after he was placed on administrative leave. The woman also cites what she describes as a rape incident when Opgenorth kept pushing her to have sex in the old city hall building before she stated she finally gave in. The documents also allege that Opgenorth coerced the woman into sex acts while they were in his car parked in the Fine Arts Parking Garage at Washington State University. In the civil protection order petition, the woman states that Opgenorth never hit her but it does include an allegation that he shoved her onto the bed once when he was showing aggressive behavior.
Judge Libey has granted the woman a temporary protection order. Wednesday’s hearing to decide on a one-year protection order was delayed for two weeks at the request of Opgenorth’s attorney.
Judge-Elect Roger Sandberg will be presiding over this civil case going forward as Judge Libey is retiring.