Works In Progress - June 2003 - Olympia Police arrested and may have tortured a man in custody early in May, according to the victim

The victim, who requested anonymity for this report, was taken into custody in the early morning hours after Cinco De Mayo, and booked into jail two and one half hours after his reported arrest.

Detective Donald S Heinze and Patrol Officer Charles G Porche Jr took the man into custody for malicious mischief, according to their report. The man verbally resisted according to the report and witnesses at the scene.

According to the victim, when he was brought to the jail, police placed him against a wall and pepper sprayed him from behind. When he dropped to the ground, they took him by the arms and strapped him into a rolling chair by his wrists and ankles.

Police then continued to pepper spray the man's face, according to the man. He said they they pried his eyes open and continued to use the pepper spray at close range while he was restrained.

When the police had finished pepper spraying him, they stripped him of most of his clothes and hosed him off, leaving him in a holding cell in his wet underwear until his release just before 10AM that morning.

A person who was calling into the jail to leave her phone number for the man to call told Copwatch that she was told by a jail employee that "He can't use that right now. He has OC-10 in his eyes."

As he was being released, the man told his story to a black jail employee. The man said the jail employee told him "I know all about that. I saw it on video."

Lt. William W "Bill" Wilson confirmed that there is a videotape of the incident, but refused Copwatch access to the tape, saying that it is a security tape and is exempt from disclosure.

Olympia Police Internal Affairs Lieutenant James D "Jim" Costa has been told about the story and promised to investigate.

Other people on duty that night in the Jail were:

Jeffrey S Robertson (Booked both of Donald Heinze's prisoners that night, including the victim.)

Renate K Emerson (Booked two prisoners during the period of time when the torture was alleged to be occurring.)

Timothy Aiken (Logged the man's release and may be the person who told the victim about the videotape.)

Amy King (Patrol) was booking a drunk driver about ten minutes before the victim was arrested and may have been present later during the alleged torture.

Matthew J Renschler (Patrol) was booking a prisoner during the time in which the torture was alleged to be taking place.

Gabriel Crumpton and James Roberson also served in the Jail later that day but were unlikely to be on the intake shift when the torture occurred. Roberson might also be the man who admitted the videotape esisted.