Lawsuit alleging ex-deputy falsified arrest report settled for $250K

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — A lawsuit filed by an oyster farmer accusing a now-decertified county deputy of falsifying an arrest report and urging a person to lie during a domestic-violence investigation has been settled for $250,000. The Seattle Times reports Gerardo Rodarte sued Skagit County and ex-deputy Joseph Gutierrez in 2020, after Rodarte was acquitted by a jury of domestic-violence assault charges that were based on the deputy’s sworn statement and reports. Court documents show Gutierrez, who was fired in 2018, refused to testify at trial. Rodarte’s lawsuit alleged that Gutierrez conspired with Rodarte’s niece and oyster farm employee to falsely accuse her uncle of assaulting her in exchange for help with her immigration status.