In 2018, Detective Kathleen Decker obtained a search warrant for Seattle resident Gizachew Wondie by providing false statements, including misidentifying him in a photo and exaggerating ballistics evidence. These inaccuracies led to Wondie’s arrest on drug charges, which were later dismissed after a federal judge found Decker’s conduct ‘reckless.’ In December 2023, King County settled a civil rights lawsuit with Wondie for $225,000. Decker retired in 2020 after 33 years of service.
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