YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — The Yakima County prosecutor will be allowed to pursue a case against a sheriff’s deputy who’s accused of rape, burglary and assault.
Deputy Sean Moore contended that Yakima County Prosecutor Jim Hagarty had a conflict of interest, in part because he met with Moore before charges were filed to discuss Moore’s relationship with the woman he’s accused of raping.
But Kittitas County Superior Court Judge Scott R. Sparks ruled Tuesday that Hagarty can prosecute the case. Sparks heard the issue because all eight Yakima County Superior Court judges have recused themselves from the case.
Moore is being held at the Kittitas County Jail on $500,000 bail. He’s charged with raping a woman in October, as well as assaulting her and threatening her male friend at gunpoint.
