State Patrol settles with victims in groping case

SEATTLE – The State Patrol will pay nearly $2 million to nine women groped by a trooper during traffic stops.

Each will receive $60,000 to $380,000 in agreements reached with the state this month, but some may pursue claims against the former trooper, Michael Idland, individually in court.

Idland stopped most of the women near the state Route 520 bridge with the pretense of investigating them for investigation of drunken driving. They claimed he groped them while conducting searches.

Idland, who maintained he did nothing wrong, entered a modified guilty plea to three counts of sexual misconduct last year and spent almost 17 months in jail. A King County Superior Court judge also ordered him to pay more than $40,000 in fines and jail costs.

Capt. Jeff DeVere said State Patrol officials believe the settlement is “the right thing to do.”