Asotin County superior court judge arrested, accused of criminal sexual misconduct

ASOTIN COUNTY, Wash. — A Superior Court judge in Asotin County was arrested for investigation of criminal sexual misconduct Wednesday.

The Washington State Patrol said the case and prosecution of Superior Court Judge Scott D. Gallina will be led by attorneys from state Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office at the request of the Asotin County prosecutor.

Ferguson said Gallina was arrested on suspicion of second-degree felony rape, second-degree assault and indecent liberties.

Ferguson said the investigation is being reviewed, and his office expects to have a decision on possible criminal charges Thursday. If charged, details of the alleged crimes will be released in charging documents.

The State Patrol said it is occasionally asked to act in an investigatory or review capacity in cases involving public officials accused of misconduct.

The Asotin County Sheriff’s Office officially requested the State Patrol’s involvement on March 29.

“From time to time, law enforcement agencies across the state request that we take specific roles in an investigation so there can be no question of the transparency, fairness, and thoroughness of the process,” said WSP Chief John Batiste.

Lt. Randy Hullinger of the WSP Criminal Investigation Division is asking anyone with information about the case or potential victims to contact investigators.

“We encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward,” said Hullinger. “Victims of sexual abuse are often afraid to tell anyone, especially when the accused abuser has a position of power. Victims can sometimes think they themselves did something wrong or they may get in trouble or be embarrassed by revealing what has happened to them. Our detectives understand those concerns and work hard to respect the privacy rights of possible victims and to understand the emotional toll that situations like this bring. Most importantly, in all harmful situations, we work hard to make sure that the abuse stops and those who harm others face appropriate consequences.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Greg Tri or Detective Scott Neustel at 509-249-6743.

Asotin County is in the southeast corner of Washington and borders Idaho.

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP 

Cox Media Group