The Ellensburg prosecutor's office has been asked to review a request for criminal charges against Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice, Yakima police said.
A news release from the Yakima Police Department said Curtice reported allegations of an assault via poisoning to the police department on Aug. 27.
Police investigated, and determined evidence did not corroborate the original allegation, the news release said.
"An investigation was conducted, which resulted in a recommendation for criminal charges to be filed against Mr. Curtice," the release said.
Police did not release additional or details information on the case.
Curtice did not respond to a message left on his cell phone Monday evening.
The case has been turned over the city of Ellensburg's Prosecutor's Office because of a conflict of interest in filing charges in the city of Yakima and Yakima County, police said.
Curtice took two months of leave in 2023 to receive treatment for PTSD after assaulting a sheriff's deputy. Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Brusic declined to pursue third-degree assault charges because he did not believe he could prove beyond reasonable doubt that Curtice intentionally assaulted the deputy.
___
(c)2024 Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.)
Visit Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.) at www.yakima-herald.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.