SPOKANE, Wash. — Update: This story has been corrected and updated for accuracy.
Warning: This story contains details about sexual assault. Discretion is advised.
A former Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) deputy who sued the office for an alleged hostile work environment is now facing rape allegations from another deputy.
Andrew Richmond, who claimed a hostile work environment after he reported another deputy for racist comments, could face charges of second-degree attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. This comes after he allegedly sexually assaulted a fellow deputy.
Richmond joined the Spokane County Sheriff's office in 2014. He was one of only two black officers in the department. When he was transferred to the Valley precinct two years later, Richmond claimed he experienced incidences of racism.
After several more incidents, Richmond ultimately filed an official complaint with Internal Affairs in 2019. Richmond took his concerns to Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and was later involuntarily transferred to a less-desirable isolated area on the Whitman County line, according to documents. He ultimately left the office in 2019 and began working for the Spokane Police Department (SPD).
According to court documents, Richmond is now accused of raping another SCSO deputy.
The Spokane Valley Police Department (SVPD) and SCSO then received an anonymous letter. It stated that a female had been the victim of a sexual assault at a residence in Spokane County on Aug.16, 2019. The letter identified the attacker as Richmond, according to documents.
After the allegations came forward, Richmond was placed on administrative leave from SPD in July.
After the anonymous letter was received, the victim told investigators she and Richmond became friends. After Richmond left SCSO, he, the victim and two of their friends decided to go out for drinks to "celebrate Richmond moving on." The two friends did not show up, but Richmond and the victim went out drinking together anyways, according to documents.
The victim said she and Richmond continued bar hopping for several hours. When they arrived at the final bar, the victim said she was "obliterated" and could not recall the majority of the conversations she had with Richmond. The victim told investigators she was not able to drive, so Richmond offered to drive her home. She said the two stopped at a store on the way to her house to purchase more alcohol.
When they arrived at the victim's house, court documents state Richmond went inside with her and asked for a tour since he had not been there before. The victim agreed and the pair started walking through the house. After the tour, the victim said she went back downstairs and received a call from a man she was seeing at the time. She told investigators that Richmond told her not to tell the man he was there.
Richmond excused himself to go to the bathroom and was gone for a bit before the victim started hearing noises coming from upstairs. She went upstairs and saw Richmond looking at pictures on the wall. He then went into the victim's bedroom, picked up her on-duty belt and tired to put it on himself. The victim told him to stop, at which point he removed the handcuffs from her belt, placed one cuff on the victim and the other on a computer handle in her bedroom, according to documents.
The victim told police she was trying to get the handcuff off but was struggling because she was intoxicated. As this happened, she said Richmond was "cracking up laughing and joking around." As she was sitting on the ground trying to get the handcuff off, she noticed Richmond's phone sitting on the ground near her, so she picked it up and texted Richmond's girlfriend, "Your boyfriend's an a******." Richmond reportedly became angry about this.
The victim said Richmond then picked her up off the floor and threw her onto the bed. She said she was shocked but could not fully grasp what was happening. Richmond then uncuffed the computer and handcuffed the victim's wrists together, according to documents.
Richmond was told to stop what he was doing by the victim, but court documents state he did not listen and began assaulting her.
As it happened, the victim said she noticed the handcuff keys on the bed next to her. She was able to grab it and work the key and free herself. She then pushed Richmond off of her and ran downstairs. When Richmond came downstairs minutes later, the victim told him to leave, which he then did.
The following day, the victim told the man she was seeing about what happened. According to her, the man became very upset Richmond had reportedly taken her phone and texted him from it while they were out drinking.
Richmond and the victim also exchanged multiple text messages the morning after the assault. The victim asked Richmond to explain his actions, to which he apologized and said he was drunk. The victim then asked Richmond if he was aware how many times she asked him to stop, at which point Richmond became defensive, stating he would never force himself on anyone and that it was "f***** up" to insinuate "that I'm some sort of predator or something."
Richmond then texted the victim the following day, writing "The picture you kinda painted of me is really bugging me and I think we should talk about it." The victim then told him "no accusation will come of this."
The investigation into the assault was handed over to the Pullman Police Department (PPD) and the Lincoln County Prosecutors Office. Lincoln County prosecutors are recommending Richmond be charged with second-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment.
We reached out to SPD and they sent the following statement, "SPD is aware of the serious allegations lodged against Officer Andrew Richmond, which stem from an incident occurring prior to his employment with SPD."
"Richmond was placed on administrative leave as soon as SPD learned of the alleged conduct. In order to ensure an independent and objective investigation, SPD has had no involvement in any of the proceedings."
"The case is currently under review by prosecutors, and SPD will monitor their decisions regarding the case."
"SPD will conduct an internal investigation once sufficient information is obtained and such investigation can be conducted without jeopardizing the criminal inquiry, which takes precedence over administrative reviews."
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