SPOKANE, Wash. — The man arrested in connection to two separate attacks at Manito Park plead not guilty to fourth-degree assault on Friday morning.
Spokane Police (SPD) arrested 26-year-old Devontaye Harden at 2 p.m. on Thursday. The arrest was made with assistance from the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) at Fairchild Air Force Base, according to Spokane PD Cpl. Nick Briggs.
Harden was detained by OSI on Fairchild Air Force Base before being taken into custody. He has since been booked into the Spokane County Jail.
According to Briggs, Harden is an active duty military personnel at Fairchild.
SPD has no reason to believe there are any additional suspects involved in the Manito attacks.
According to the Spokane Police Department, the attacks happened near 17th and Grand on Thursday, Jan. 20 during the morning hours. Police say a man grabbed two different women in a sensitive area and ran away. According to Briggs, one of the victims was an adult while the other was a juvenile.
Spokane Police say the Special Victims Unit is investigating the two attacks and announced on Wednesday that a person of interest had been identified in connection to the attacks.
Harden appeared in municipal court on Friday morning and pleaded not guilty to both counts of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation, a gross misdemeanor. Briggs said gross misdemeanors carry a maximum of up to one year in jail.
His bond is currently set at $5,000. He will appear in court again for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 8, 2022.
Fairchild Air Force Base released the following statement on Harden's arrest:
The Air Force and Fairchild Air Force Base take these allegations very seriously. Behavior of this kind has no place in our ranks. We emphasize a culture of respect and uphold our Airmen to high standards.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Check back for updates.