New allegations emerge against former Umatilla sergeant

{child_byline}By PHIL WRIGHT

East Oregonian{/child_byline}

{child_source}East Oregonain{/child_source}

UMATILLA — The federal lawsuit alleging former Umatilla police Sgt. Bill Wright failed to investigate the rape of a 13-year-old girl in 2018 now claims he failed to investigate another teen girl’s report of sexual assault in 2022.

The latest accusation against Wright came Friday, April 14, when attorneys Terry Scannell, of Beaverton, and Patrick Gregg, of the Pendleton-based firm Corey, Byler & Rew LLP, filed an amended complaint, which seeks more than $26 million — approximately $100,000 in damages, $2.5 million for emotional distress damages and $23.5 million in punitive damages.

The new allegations come from the case of a Umatilla High School student who was on a school trip in April 2022 to Houston.

That trip would have been for Team Confidential, the Umatilla High School varsity robotics team, to compete in Houston for the world robotics title.

The girl made the allegation to Umatilla School District Superintendent Heidi Sipe on the return bus ride to Oregon, according to reporting from The Oregonian/Oregon Live, and the school district notified Umatilla police.

According to the amended lawsuit, the case went to Wright, but only after “a substantial amount of time had passed” from when the girl arrived home. Wright did not interview the girl, instead waiting for the Guardian Care Center in Pendleton to conduct an interview, which could not happen for two weeks.

Lawsuit: Wright misleads familyAfter the Guardian Care Center interview, the girl and her parents returned to the Umatilla Police Department to meet Wright, according to the lawsuit, where he told them because the sexual assault occurred in Houston, he had spoken with the Houston Police Department and would do a “partner” investigation with them. Wright also “represented” that he would investigate in Umatilla and send his report to Houston police, which would make the decision whether to prosecute.

“These statements were false or misleading,” the lawsuit states.

The girl’s mother also told Wright the same person in December 2021 had grabbed her daughter’s breast at school, but the school refused to do anything, according to the lawsuit. She said she wanted that incident investigated as well.

“We can look into that but what else is there?” Wright replied, the lawsuit states. “There is not much there. He didn’t break any laws.”

In response, the girl’s father told Wright, “You don’t believe these girls.” And the mother showed Wright copies of a Snapchat conversation in which the alleged abuser “made incriminating statements about the December 2021 incident.”

Wright told the parents he would investigate and interview witnesses about the cases, and on May 24, about a week after the meeting, Wright emailed the second girl’s mother, claiming he finished the investigation and the report had been sent to the Houston Police Department.

The amended lawsuit claims that did not happen.

The mother tried to get a copy of that report from Houston police and the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office but could not. She then contacted Houston police, and Houston police reported it knew nothing about the case and had had “no contact” with Umatilla police.

Houston police in September 2022 contacted the mother to tell her it did not receive anything from Umatilla police until July — seven months after the trip to Houston. As a result of Umatilla Police Department’s handling of the investigation, Houston did not believe it could bring charges.

Policies, procedures and accreditationThe lawsuit also calls attention to the Umatilla Police Department’s 2018 policy manual for investigating child abuse, including child sexual assault. According to the lawsuit the manual states, “The Umatilla Police Department will investigate all reported incidents of alleged criminal child abuse and ensure (Oregon Department of Human Services) is notified as required by law.” And it is the duty of “qualified investigators” to present “all cases of alleged child abuse to the prosecutor for review.”

The department’s policy requires officers responding to reports of sexual assaults to “strive to minimize the trauma experienced by the victims” and to “aggressively investigate sexual assaults, pursue expeditious apprehension and conviction of perpetrators, and protect the safety of the victims and the community.”

And qualified investigators should conduct follow-up interviews and investigation, present appropriate cases of alleged sexual assault to the prosecutor for review and coordinate with other enforcement agencies, social service agencies and medical personnel as needed.

The lawsuit claims Wright violated many Umatilla police policies both after receiving the report of the sexual assault in 2022, and with the first case in 2018 and 2020.

The Umatilla Police Department is one of 72 Oregon sheriff’s offices and police departments accredited through the Oregon Accreditation Alliance. The organization on its website states it “exists to improve the quality and delivery of law enforcement and communication services to the citizens of its communities, by endorsing and assisting in the processes of national and state accreditation. OAA provides technical assistance to agencies in all phases of accreditation, from file setup and documentation to on-site assessments.”

Scott Hayes, the executive director of the alliance, said its 24-member board is aware of the situation with Wright and Umatilla police, but it’s far too early to say whether the department’s accreditation is at risk.

“It’s important to know the OAA is not an investigative agency,” he said. “We do not do investigations.”

The city of Umatilla or its police department could conduct an internal investigation or review, he said, or the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training could investigate Wright. But whether any investigation could jeopardize Umatilla Police Department’s accreditation, Hayes said, is putting the cart far before the horse and “is dependent on a number of circumstances.”

The alliance can suspend an agency’s accreditation, he said, and that has happened on occasion, such as for failing to comply with documentation and reporting requirements. Agencies that slip up can get back on track through improvement programs under the guidance of the OAA.

The Oregon Accreditation Alliance has operated since 2001, Hayes said, and has never revoked a department’s accreditation.

The UPD’s Mission Statement reads, “It is the mission of the Umatilla Police Department to provide a fast, effective, and professional service to the citizens of the City of Umatilla. We strive to accomplish our 3 R’s of policing:

“Doing the RIGHT thing,

“For the RIGHT reason,

“At the RIGHT time.

“All to protect constitutional guarantees and create an environment of safety, security and respect while maintaining a partnership between the community and police.”

Umatilla police never filed charges in the 2018 or the 2022 cases. In the first case, the mother of the victim contacted the FBI. Its investigation led to the conviction of a Florida man now spending 25 years in federal prison.

Umatilla School District faces lawsuitThe Oregonian/Oregon Live reported attorney Emily C. Stebbins has filed a separate notice of intent to sue the Umatilla School District on behalf of the girl who said she was sexually assaulted on the school trip to Houston in 2022.

The notice claims the girl reported the alleged repeated abuse during the ride back to Oregon directly to Sipe, who was on the bus.

Sipe reported the Umatilla School District last year hired a private investigator to look into the school trip accusations.

“No allegations were substantiated,” according to Sipe. “The Houston and Umatilla Police departments investigated the claims as well and no charges have been filed.”

Sipe confirmed Monday evening, April 17, to the East Oregonian that she has reported all she could. Umatilla City Manager David Stockdale said as a matter of policy he could not comment on any pending litigation.