A Washington State Patrol trooper pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he failed to immediately report allegations that his father was sexually molesting female relatives.
Justin Hamrick, 25, was released on his own recognizance after his arraignment in Pierce County Superior Court.
Prosecutors have charged Hamrick with two felony counts of failing to comply with mandatory reporting laws. Law enforcement officers are bound by law to immediately report allegations of child abuse or neglect they are made aware of.
Prosecutors allege Hamrick learned June 4, 2011, that his father, Scott Hamrick, was abusing two of the elder Hamrick’s adopted daughters at the family home in Eatonville. Scott Hamrick, a lieutenant with a local fire district, later committed suicide.
Justin Hamrick allegedly spoke to his mother about the allegations and told her to do something immediately or he would, court records show. His mother, Drew Ann Hamrick, said she wouldn’t report her husband of 24 years to authorities but would demand he move out of the family home, the records show.
Justin Hamrick later met with his older brother, who told him he must report the abuse, court records show. Hamrick and his brothers went to sheriff’s deputies with the allegations June 28, the records show.
Hamrick, who hired on with the State Patrol in May 2008 and was commissioned as a trooper in 2010, is on administrative leave while the criminal case plays out, Calkins said.
Drew Ann Hamrick pleaded guilty last month to witness tampering and unlawful imprisonment in the case and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.
Adam Lynn adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com
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