Judge: King County detective made false statements to obtain warrant
By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press
Published: December 21, 2021, 7:37am
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In this 2019 photo, King County Detective Kathleen Decker speaks at a news conference, while Sheriff Mitzi G. Johanknecht looks on, at right, in Seattle. Decker, a now-retired 33-year veteran of the King County Sheriff's Office, made several false statements under oath when she obtained a search warrant in a murder case in 2019, resulting in a man's false arrest on drug charges, newly unsealed federal court orders show. (Greg Gilbert/The Seattle Times via AP)
SEATTLE — A longtime King County sheriff’s detective made several false statements under oath when she obtained a search warrant in a murder case three years ago — resulting in a man’s false arrest on drug charges, newly unsealed federal court orders show.
Detective Kathleen Decker, a now-retired 33-year veteran of the King County Sheriff’s Office, was looking for a murder weapon when she asked a Washington state judge for a warrant to search the car and apartment of Seattle resident Gizachew Wondie in 2018.
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