Another girl is part of suit against UPD

By Terry Murry on Wednesday, April 19th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

The lawsuit against the Umatilla Police Department, former Sgt. Bill Wright, the city of Umatilla, Lt. Keith Kennedy, and Chief Darla Huxel has been expanded to include a similar case of a Umatilla High School student who reported she was sexually assaulted in April 2022 on a school trip to Houston. She is referred to as Jane Doe 2 in the legal action.

The suit alleges that Sgt. Wright chose to wait two weeks for an interview the victim had with the Guardian Care Center instead of interviewing Jane Doe 2 himself. After that interview, Wright told the girl and her parents that since the incident occurred in Houston, he would mount a joint investigation and send his findings to the Houston Police Department. It is charged that he told the parents on May 24, 2022, that he had completed the investigation and had sent his report on to HPD.

The lawyers for the plaintiff said that Houston police contacted the mother in September 2022 to report they didn’t receive anything from UPD until July.

“As a result of the investigation being handled so poorly by the UPD, the HPD did not believe they could bring charges,” the suit states.

The suit has been filed in U.S. District Court, Pendleton Division. Wright left the Umatilla Police Department last month.

A story about the original suit is at https://elkhornmediagroup.com/civil-rights-suit-filed-in-child-sex-abuse-case/.