Man sentenced for assaulting WSP trooper following traffic stop near Wallula
By Dan Thesman on Thursday, April 16th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – Terrance Adrian Rutter, 28, accused of assaulting a Washington State Patrol trooper after a traffic stop on US 12 near Wallula on June 28, 2025, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault on Monday in Walla Walla County Superior Court.
After a brief struggle in traffic, a WSP trooper detained Rutter using a taser. Rutter, who had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant, was medically cleared and booked into Walla Walla County Jail for third-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and making false statements. The trooper involved was not injured during the encounter.
Walla Walla County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brianne L. Drury explains pursuant to Rutter’s guilty plea, the state agreed to dismiss the other two tracking offenses of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant and resisting arrest.
Drury added that Rutter’s sentencing was also completed on Monday. He was granted a first-time offender waiver, credited for the time he was served in jail, and sentenced to 12 months of community custody supervision.
