EVERETT, Wash. – KING 5 News has obtained a recorded two-way radio transmission that sparked an investigation into whether a Snohomish County sheriff's deputy had sexual relations while on duty.
It happened in the early morning hours of September 19. Dispatch was communicating with one Snohomish County deputy when another male deputy accidentally keyed the mic on his radio. It was about a ten second transmission that sounded like a woman moaning repeatedly.
KING 5 News has learned that deputy is now under investigation for having an inappropriate romantic relationship on duty. It is not being investigated as a crime, but could be a case of police misconduct.
In the recording, a second similar radio transmission can be heard a few seconds later. About a minute passes, then dispatch asks the deputy to check his mic.
"41 sam radio check" said the dispatcher.
"Code 4," said the deputy.
"Copy code 4," the dispatcher answered.
The deputy is a 45-year-old sergeant, who has been with the office for 20 years. According to his internal personnel file, the sheriff promoted him to sergeant in December 2009. He's now on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office says since this is not an alleged crime, the investigation is a personnel issue, which the department can't comment on. The sheriff's office says the internal investigation into the sergeant's conduct won't be made public for 2-3 weeks.
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