Mehring colleague, son may testify

The list of witnesses who could be called to testify against Spokane Police Detective Jay Mehring includes one colleague and his own son, according to court records.

Mehring was arrested about 1 p.m. Friday on a charge of felony harassment after witnesses told investigators that they heard him threaten to kill his estranged wife on two different occasions.

About 80 minutes after his arrest, Mehring, 39, posted his $100,000 bond and was released, a Spokane County Sheriff’s jail spokesperson said.

Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick on Friday placed Mehring, who has worked since 2003 as an undercover narcotics detective, on unpaid layoff status. Efforts to reach Mehring Monday were unsuccessful.

According to court records, Mehring moved out of the couple’s home after filing for divorce in November.

The separation had been amicable until the couple met March 19 with accountants to go over their taxes.

When about $20,000 worth of “financial discrepancies” were discovered, Lisa Mehring’s attorney advised her to place a hold on all of their accounts, according to court records justifying the arrest. Earlier court records stated the figure of disputed funds at $42,000.

Lisa Mehring told investigators that she next saw Jay Mehring on March 24, as they both went to watch their son at a wrestling match. Jay Mehring brought documents for Lisa to sign that would free up the accounts but she refused to sign, court records state.

Jay Mehring, in front of their children and other parents, started calling his ex-wife names and said he was going to “burn down their house with her in it,” court records state. Lisa Mehring contacted Sgt. Troy Teigen to report the threats.

Then, on March 26, according to court records, Mehring made a similar threat toward Lisa to Spokane police Sgt. Dave Overhoff, who filed an internal report with the Police Department. The Mehrings’ son – whose age is not listed in court records – told his mother the next day that he had overheard the conversation, which occurred in a gym.

“Jay said, ‘I’m going to burn that bitch and her house down to the ground. … I have nothing to lose and a piece of paper isn’t going to stop me, either,’ ” Overhoff quoted Mehring as saying.

Spokane County sheriff’s detective Kristopher Thompson later interviewed the Mehring couple’s son about the encounter with Overhoff at a gym.

The boy told Thompson that later on March 26, Jay Mehring asked him what he had heard of the conversation with Overhoff.

The boy told his dad that he had not heard the threat. But the next day, he reported the conversation to his mother, as something he had overheard.

Lisa Mehring “believed Jay’s threats to be viable, especially seeing as he was willing to make them in front of Dave Overhoff and their children,” court records state.

Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Mark Lindsey, who handles domestic violence cases, said it was not unusual that Mehring posted bond Friday, prior to a first appearance hearing.

“He was booked into jail on the warrant and he posted bond before we could get him to a first appearance,” Lindsey said. “He wasn’t accorded any special favors.”

Mehring, a 12-year police veteran, last week hired attorney Chris Bugbee after receiving a copy of a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his estranged wife. Expecting an arrest warrant, Bugbee said he advised Mehring to contact a bonding agency and start filling out paperwork, which allows a suspect to quickly bond out of jail.

“Anybody who has happened to hire an attorney before the charge was filed, or know themselves what the process is, can arrange for that,” Bugbee said. “That’s totally normal.”

Neither Lindsey nor Bugbee have received information about when Mehring will appear for an arraignment on the harassment charge.