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WSU student association demands retrial of former Pullman police sergeant

ASWSU President Quinton Berkompas tweeted the organization’s official statement on the call for a retrial.

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Associated Students of Washington State University are calling for the retrial of a former Pullman Police Department sergeant accused of first-degree sexual misconduct.

Hargraves resigned on Nov. 29, 2018, amid the investigation into sexual misconduct claims. Police said he was arrested about a month before as a result of an investigation that began in April 2018 when a female Washington State University student reported she was sexually assaulted. After his trial, a judge ruled a mistrial after jurors said they could not reach a verdict in a reasonable amount of time.

ASWSU President Quinton Berkompas tweeted the organization’s official statement on the call for a retrial. He wrote, “Sexual assault in unacceptable. Victim blaming is unacceptable. Lack of justice is unacceptable.”

The letter said in part, “The alleged actions of former Pullman Police sergeant Dan Hargraves stand in direct contrast to these values, and ASWSU firmly believes that the alleged actions are a direct threat to the sense of safety that law enforcement is meant to provide to the community and our students.”

KREM reached out to Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy Tuesday. He said he has not decided whether or not he will retry Hargraves.

Jurors told the prosecutor some of the testimonies didn't match up and there were discrepancies with when the victim was in Hargraves' patrol car. They also had more questions about the DNA found on the victim's clothing and wanted more information on cell phone locations that were presented as evidence.

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