Kennewick detective accused of pointing gun at his wife, teen son after night of drinking

KENNEWICK – A Kennewick police detective’s 11-year career was marked with awards and praise.

But Joshua Riley, 42, struggled with alcoholism and suicidal thoughts following three tours in Iraq, according to his wife in newly filed court documents.

His private struggles became public early Sunday, after a night of drinking allegedly ended with Riley pointing a handgun at his wife and teen son.

He remained Tuesday in Benton County jail on suspicion of two counts of second-degree assault. He was transferred from the Franklin County jail and is currently being held without bail.

Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger said at a preliminary hearing Tuesday that a special prosecutor from Adams County will handle the case to avoid any potential conflicts of interest because his office handles cases Riley has investigated for the Kennewick Police Department.

Defense attorney Scott Johnson told Court Commissioner Megan Whitmire he wants to argue over some of the specifics about the conditions for Riley’s release, but wanted to wait until the new prosecutor is available.

Another hearing is planned Wednesday.

On Monday, Whitmire entered protection orders preventing Riley from contacting his wife and children.

While the Benton County Sheriff’s Office was taken over the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest, the initial affidavit of probable cause filed in court came from Kennewick police Officer Sebastian Castilleja.

The investigation into Riley’s alleged threats started just after midnight Sunday when a woman called 911 to say that some children visiting her home reported that their father had pulled a gun on them, Castilleja said.

The investigation led officers to Riley’s south Kennewick home, where his wife and son said an evening of drinking spiraled out of control when Riley allegedly pulled out his handgun and began pointing it at his wife and 15-year-old son.

Falling down drunk

Riley’s wife told investigators she and her husband were drinking on the back porch Saturday, when he started accusing her of cheating on him, said court documents. She said there was no truth to the accusation.

Their teenage son told officers the argument started about 9:45 p.m. and escalated as the night went on.

Eventually, Riley pulled out his gun and pointed its green laser sight at their heads, according to Castilleja’s affidavit.

Riley’s wife said they were in the upstairs living room when he first drew the pistol.

The teen said he first saw the gun after he stopped his father from leaving the house drunk. He said his father was struggling to stand up.

The teen was at the bedroom door asking his mom what was going on when his father walked in.

Riley allegedly took the gun out of his waistband and pointed the laser sight at his wife’s head, said the affidavit. She started screaming and crying as she ran for the bedroom door.

Riley didn’t respond when his wife asked what he was doing, according to court documents.

Their son helped her get out of the room, and Riley allegedly followed them toward the front door where he pointed the gun at his son, documents said.

Riley’s wife took the gun from him and hid it in a closet.

“(His son) was scared his dad was going to pull the trigger at any point,” said Castilleja’s affidavit. “He thought Joshua was eventually going to pull the trigger, but luckily he didn’t.”

Riley’s wife later told investigators the detective went to sleep and woke up about 2:30 a.m. and noticed his four kids were not home. She told him they left because he pointed a gun at her and their son, but he didn’t remember doing that.

Riley was later arrested at his home about 4 a.m. Sunday, though it’s unclear from the documents when police officers first came to the house.

Sometime that morning, police spoke with Riley’s wife about getting a no-contact order but she declined. Still, a police sergeant told the investigating officers to ask a judge for a protection order anyway.

Later, she told police Riley has been suicidal for years due to his military deployments and law enforcement service.

”Joshua has struggled with alcoholism for a long time, but lately it has gotten worse,” she told investigators.

Police career

Riley, an Air Force veteran who served three tours in Iraq, joined the Kennewick police department in 2012. Riley’s wife is a Kennewick native, the city posted in the past.

Riley spent several years working as a patrol officer before he was selected to serve as a detective with the Criminal Apprehension Team and then with the Property Crimes division, according to the department.

He was named Detective of the Year in 2020 and was one of the lead instructors in the Kennewick department on the use of force by officers during arrests, the agency said at the time.