A former Washington State Patrol lieutenant appeared Friday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of sexually assaulting a relative.
Kenneth S. Garrison, 50, of Vancouver faces charges of two counts of second-degree rape and three counts of first-degree incest. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Judge David Gregerson held Garrison on $1 million bail.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Camara Banfield said Garrison also faces a possible charge in Cowlitz County related to a 2001 accusation that he raped a child. That accusation involved a different victim, said Clark County sheriff’s Detective Kevin Allais. Garrison was charged in 2001 with first-degree child rape. The charge was dismissed but now may be filed again.
Garrison was fired from the State Patrol in 2003 in connection with the 2001 allegation, then reinstated to his job under an arbitrator’s order.
Garrison appeared in court Friday with Vancouver attorney Barry Brandenburg, who said he was there on a courtesy appearance.
Gregerson said he needs more information to determine whether Garrison qualifies for a court-appointed attorney. He resigned from the State Patrol in December and retired Monday from his position as a lieutenant colonel in the Washington Army National Guard.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies took Garrison into custody without incident Wednesday at the Rodeway Inn and Suites, 2323 N.E. 181st Ave. in Gresham, Ore. Police and the East Metro SWAT team assisted in the arrest. He spent the night in the Multnomah County Jail and then was extradited Thursday to the Clark County Jail.
The State Patrol hired Garrison in 1989, according to spokesman Bob Calkins. Garrison was most recently the lieutenant responsible for supervising troopers who patrol the Southwest Washington district, which is headquartered in Vancouver.
The 2001 allegation against Garrison led to an internal investigation that ended in Garrison’s termination, Calkins said. He was fired in 2003, and the state decertified him as a peace officer, Calkins said.
In an internal investigation, the burden of proof is lesser than in a criminal court case. Garrison’s supervisor at the time reviewed the 2001 allegation and determined that there was enough proof that the sex abuse happened, Calkins said.
However, when Garrison appealed his termination, an arbitrator ruled in his favor, awarded him some back pay, and ordered him back to work. He returned to duty with the State Patrol in 2008 and remained with the agency until his resignation in December, Calkins said.
Authorities are still investigating the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the Clark County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 360-397-6008 extension 2120.
