Sergeant in probe put on paid leave

A Spokane County sheriff’s sergeant has been placed on paid leave pending the possible filing of a misdemeanor assault charge in connection with a domestic violence dispute.

David Fray was placed on administrative leave late last month after investigators concluded they had probable cause to arrest him in connection with an assault on his college-age daughter, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Spokane City Council members agreed Monday to hire a private attorney, Marletta Giles-Ward, to prosecute the case, which was investigated by the Spokane Police Department.

Fray, who has not been arrested and couldn’t be reached for comment, was reassigned to desk duty after the Sept. 13 incident, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

The dispute began after Fray picked up his daughter from Washington State University for the weekend, according to a police report. The two began arguing in a car and Fray slapped her and pulled her hair, the report said.

The woman, whose name was edited out of a report provided by police, was treated for her injuries at Valley Hospital and Medical Center. Police photographed her injuries, including a swollen lip and a red, swollen cheek.

Fray told police he and his daughter had a “kind of rocky” relationship, according to the report.

They were arguing in the car when she threw a cup of soda on him and “he instinctively responded by throwing a backhand,” the report said. His daughter acted as if she was going to hit him with her purse, Fray said, so he grabbed her hair to stop her.

Fray told detectives he suffered a cut and swollen lip in the fight. Fray, who’s paid about $83,000 a year, has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1976.