Protection order against police chief turned down

The request for a permanent protection order from a woman who made accusations against Pullman Police Chief Jake Opgenorth was denied on Wednesday in Whitman County Superior Court.

The woman filed a civil protection order against Opgenorth in December alleging him of harassment and sexual assault. The petition led to the Washington State Patrol opening an investigation into Opgenorth; the city of Pullman also placed him on leave under direction of Pullman Mayor Francis Benjamin.

Opgenorth was ordered to surrender his firearms as a result of the filing because of the “aggressive interactions” he had with the woman, making her reportedly fearful, according to court documents.

Recently retired Whitman County Superior Court Judge Gary Libey granted the victim a temporary protection order in December before the court could hear the entire argument. The civil case was passed on to the new judge, Roger Sandberg, who denied the request on the basis of lack of evidence.

The civil protection order accuses Opgenorth of domestic violence and assault during and after their extramarital relationship, which lasted several years and ended in November. Opgenorth is married.

Court documents say the woman claims Opgenorth’s aggressive behavior includes harassment over phone calls, texts and USPS. Initial filings contend he allegedly sexually assaulted her multiple times based on submitted text exchanges she believes proves that Opgenorth admitted to raping her.

More than 300 pages of messages were turned over by the woman and Opgenorth to the court following the December request, which were used in Sandberg’s decision.

Sandberg said the additional texts submitted provide an entirely different impression than what was first told. The messages show on several occasions the woman reportedly told Opgenorth that he never harmed her and she continued to seek contact with him after he allegedly assaulted her.

After reviewing their conversations, Sandberg said the woman’s initial filing was a “deliberate attempt to mislead the court” and tried to hide messages. He said the submissions lacked credibility.

Sandberg also gave his opinion on the case’s evidence, which he said was embarrassing on the fact that these messages are filed with the court and available to the public eye.

“They can generally be described as juvenile, childish on both parties,” Sandberg said. “It feels like I’m reading texts between teenagers, 13-year-olds, not adults.”

No further court hearings have been scheduled at this time.

Opgenorth still remains on leave as Pullman police chief while the Washington State Patrol continues its investigation. The agency has not released any details to date. Pullman Police Cmdr. Aaron Breshears was designated as acting chief of police while Opgenorth is gone.

Opgenorth has been in law enforcement since 1992 and was named Pullman’s chief in 2022.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.