Ex-deputy files $2 million claim against King County, alleging retaliation

A former sheriff's deputy filed a $2 million claim against King County on Wednesday, alleging he was the target of retaliation by fellow deputies for providing damaging information against a deputy accused of punching a handcuffed suspect.

The claim asserts the harassment of former deputy James A. King became so severe that he suffered substantial psychological harm that prevented him from working as a law-enforcement officer.

In an interview Wednesday, the 40-year-old King said he came to question if his fellow deputies would back him in the field, to the point he wondered, "Am I coming home tonight?"

King said he will proceed with a lawsuit if the claim is denied, which could lift a curtain on what happens within police ranks when an officer breaks what has been called the code of silence.

King's attorney, Stephen Connor, said he filed the claim with the county's Risk Management Division because his client had been wronged after doing the right thing.

Division Director Jennifer Hills said Wednesday she had not seen the claim and that the county normally doesn't comment on claims that might lead to litigation.

The claim stems from an incident on Aug. 3, 2008, when King and other deputies were called to a possible domestic-violence incident at a South King County apartment complex.

During the call, a man was handcuffed and put in a patrol car, although he was soon released when deputies determined he likely had been falsely accused.

The man immediately complained that while in the patrol car, he had been punched in the mouth by deputy Don Griffee.

Griffee was charged with misdemeanor assault, but was found not guilty by a King County jury last year.

Nonetheless, the Sheriff's Office, after conducting an internal investigation, fired Griffee, who is appealing his dismissal.

King, who joined the Sheriff's Office in 1998, did not witness the alleged punch. He had been standing by the patrol car but left to speak to witnesses.

When he returned, he noticed blood coming from the suspect's mouth that had not been present when he saw the man moments before, according to King's claim.

Griffee told King that "back in the old days when someone called a cop a mother [expletive], that equaled dental work," the claim says.

Nine days later, King was asked to provide a written statement on what he had witnessed, prompting at least two other deputies to tell him he didn't have to disclose Griffee's comments, the claim alleges.

When King did report what had happened, he was "criticized and ostracized by fellow officers and supervisors," according to the claim.

One captain, in front of other deputies, twice made pointed remarks to King, including comments that officers needed to write reports saying arrests went well with no force being used, the claim alleges.

Another captain, who was a friend of Griffee's, denied King's request to work a day shift when his wife became seriously ill and disabled, and instead put him on an overnight shift that added to his anxiety, the claim says.

King also was denied another day-shift position for which he had been recruited, the claim says.

In March 2009, King testified in Griffee's trial, telling jurors his observations.

After the trial, the captain who put him on the night shift made a surprise contact with King, telling him he understood that testifying had been rough, the claim says. As soon as King "let his guard down," the captain became cold, informed him internal investigators would be calling him as a witness and walked way, according to the complaint

King took family medical leave in May 2009, suffering from emotional distress and suicidal thoughts, the claim says, and he eventually entered a hospital ward.

"I had basically a nervous breakdown," King said in the interview Wednesday.

Although supervisors had been initially supportive of the leave, they began harassing King and his wife, Celeste, the complaint alleges.

King received a medical termination from the county in January and won disability benefits from the state Department of Labor & Industries, said Connor, the couple's attorney.

But the county is contesting the state finding, putting the benefits on hold, Connor said.

Meanwhile, James King said he is studying to become a dental hygienist.

Before becoming a sheriff's deputy, he said, he worked for about 10 years as a veterinary technician, where he cared for injured police dogs and was urged by their handlers to consider a police career.

King recalled he took up the suggestion, saying he considered police work a "job where you can make a difference."

Steve Miletich: 206-464-3302 or smiletich@seattletimes.com