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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Charges recommended against Spokane police officer for aiding daughter charged with kidnapping

FILE – John Arredondo, a veteran officer of the Spokane Police Department, watches over a tent full of flatscreen televisions set up for a sale at the north Spokane Huppin’s store on Sept. 15, 2011. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
By Nina Culver and Thomas Clouse The Spokesman-Review

A Spokane Police officer is facing criminal charges for rendering criminal assistance stemming from a violent assault and reported kidnapping in May involving the officer’s daughter.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced the results of their investigation into Spokane Police Officer John Arredondo on Tuesday.

As a result of that probe, Arredondo faces charges of false swearing, tampering with evidence and two counts of rendering criminal assistance.

Arredondo has been on paid leave since May 18 and will be placed on unpaid leave while the criminal case moves forward, said Assistant Police Chief Justin Lundgren.

“The police department takes allegations of misconduct seriously,” he said. “They are serious allegations.

“The chips will fall where they deserve to fall.”

The accusations against Arredondo stem from an incident involving his daughters. Ashley Arredondo was charged in May with kidnapping and stabbing a woman she claimed owed her money. She pleaded guilty to a charge of second degree assault in June and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.

Ashley Arredondo has a previous conviction for third-degree assault after she assaulted a police officer and in 2013 she was one of 62 people arrested after a federal investigation into a multi-state Oxycontin distribution ring. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute Oxycontin pills and was sentenced to 44 months in prison.

According to court records, the victim told police she was at home on East Courtland Avenue when a man she knows as “Rags” and Jamar S. Dickerson forced her out of the home and into a black Range Rover where Ashley Arredondo and another woman, Alexia Arredondo, were waiting.

The victim was driven to an apartment at 7025 N. Atlantic St. She told police she was pulled by her hair into the apartment and struck several times with a metal cooking pan. She reported that Ashley Arredondo stabbed her in the upper arm with a knife.

A witness said the man identified as Rags restrained a female assailant from stabbing her further.

The victim’s roommate told police that Dickerson and Sherard W. Henderson accused the victim of taking $50,000 in cash that belonged to them, according to the court record. The victim told police they accused her of taking drugs from them.

In a press release issued at the time of the arrest, police said Ashley Arredondo, one of the male suspects and the victim arrived at Officer John Arredondo’s home. The officer arrived home an hour later.

Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl said in May that Officer Arredondo took the victim to the hospital in his patrol car and that she was the only one with him on the trip.

Meidl said she was treated at Providence Holy Family Hospital for cuts and bruises.

“At this point, I do not know the extent of the officer’s involvement in the investigation,” Meidl said at the time, referring to Arredondo.

Once the criminal case is over, no matter what the outcome, the department will launch an internal investigation to determine whether Arredondo violated department policy, Lundgren said.

“It is possible to violate department policy without violating the law,” he said.