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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane police officer lied to investigators, deleted text message to aid daughter, court documents say

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)

A Spokane police officer accused of improperly aiding his daughter after she assaulted a woman deleted texts involving her case, according to recently released court documents.

Officer John Arredondo also allegedly lied to investigators and declined to stop two suspected criminals while on duty, court documents say.

The accusations against Arredondo stem from an incident involving his daughter. On the night of May 17, John Arredondo was on duty in south Spokane when his daughter, Ashley B. Arredondo, 31, called him.

Ashley Arredondo was driving with Jamar Sharif Dickerson, 33, and Sherard Wayne Henderson, 44. The three had just assaulted a woman they claimed owed them money, and then forced her into a car, according to a police interview with the victim. The victim said she understood that John Arredondo told Ashley Arredondo on the phone to drive to their home in northwest Spokane.

John Arredondo met them at the home, according to court documents. The victim stumbled out of the car at the Arredondo’s residence.

John Arredondo arrived at the home in his police car and proceeded to transfer the victim to the hospital.

While driving her to the hospital, he called his supervisor, Sgt. Adam Potter. According to a police interview with Potter, Arredondo told him that the victim showed up at his house with Ashley Arredondo and Ashley’s boyfriend.

While trying to determine what had happened to the victim, Arredondo said his daughter and the two men drove off. Arredondo claimed he didn’t know about the kidnapping because he was working in the south section of the city and the call only went out to police units patrolling the north. However, a later review showed that the kidnapping call had gone out on all police channels.

According to statements made by Sgt. Zac Storment it “was clear to him” that Arredondo knew about the kidnapping and knew that the woman he transported to the hospital was the same woman who was kidnapped.

Additionally, investigators determined that Arredondo deleted text messages that “directly correspond to the investigation and crimes referenced.”

Arredondo is represented by attorney Rob Cossey.

Cossey hasn’t reviewed the charges and declined to comment on the specifics of the case.

Arredondo is charged with two first-degree counts of rendering criminal assistance, tampering with physical evidence and obstructing a law enforcement officer. He is also charged with perjury after writing a police report that contradicted cellphone logs obtained with a search warrant, failure of duty by a public officer and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant.

David Partovi, a Spokane defense attorney, said the charges seemed consistent with what he knows about the case.

Partovi said the fact that Arredondo is a police officer makes the allegations more egregious. However, he also feels for Arredondo, he said. Ashley Arredondo should have called someone else and not implicated her father, he said.

“You went to the cops and put your dad in a bad spot,” he said of Ashley Arrendondo.

Ashley Arredondo was accused in May of kidnapping and stabbing. 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. 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.

Once the criminal case against John Arredondo ends, the department will launch an internal investigation to determine whether Arredondo violated department policy.