Charges against trooper detailed

A suspended Washington state trooper facing felony unlawful imprisonment charges is accused of suggesting that two women should expose themselves to him during a traffic stop, according to court documents.

The women complied and were let off without a ticket.

The 28- and 30-year-old women, whose names are being withheld, reported that Trooper Mark Haas “acted inappropriately when he made comments that led them to believe they needed to expose their breasts and one of them to expose her pubic area,” according to a court document filed in Spokane County Superior Court. He also shined his flashlight on the body parts the women believed he wanted them to expose, officials said.

The county prosecutor’s office charged Haas on Tuesday with two counts of unlawful imprisonment and one count of official misconduct, said Deputy Prosecutor John Love. The 52-year-old trooper has been on paid administrative leave since the accusation almost five weeks ago. He’s a 22-year veteran of the department.

According to the court document, Haas pulled the women over about 2 a.m. Aug. 18 at East Bridgeport and North Market. The trooper told them it was because they were going 44 mph in a 35 mph zone. But the driver argued that she was actually going under the speed limit.

During the stop, the driver gave Haas her name and date of birth, but the trooper did not call dispatch to check her name for violations, the women said. Both women told Haas they had been drinking, but no field sobriety or breath tests were done.

The women told investigators that Haas never touched them, and they said the trooper never specifically asked them to initially expose themselves. However, they felt Haas was directing them to show their breasts, and he watched while one woman fondled the other. On a couple of occasions, Haas asked the women to re-expose a part of their body so he could get a better view, the women reported.

About 10 minutes after initiating the traffic stop, Haas let the women go and did not give the driver a traffic ticket, according to the court document.

But the women called 911 for help, officials said. WSP investigators immediately removed Haas from his duties and initiated an investigation.

During his career, Haas has helped take hundreds of drunk drivers off the streets, arrested major car thieves and prevented reckless drivers from potentially causing crashes, according to news articles.

In 1994, Haas was honored as one of three WSP troopers of the year by the Spokane Valley Elks.

In Haas’ spare time, he has worked with Habitat for Humanity, which helps build houses for lower-income families.