Pierce deputy sought after damaging family home. Wife received protection order in March
A Pierce County sheriff’s deputy is being sought on an arrest warrant after being charged with a felony for allegedly causing extensive damage to his and his wife’s Eatonville home.
On Wednesday, Pierce County prosecutors charged Michael Phipps with first-degree malicious mischief, and Superior Court Judge Edmund Murphy issued a warrant for Phipps’ arrest.
Authorities say Phipps did at least $50,000 in damage to the home. State law describes malicious mischief as physical damage done knowingly and maliciously to the property of another in an amount exceeding $5,000.
Phipps, 49, has been a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy since November 2000.
Sheriff’s Department spokesperson deputy Jeffrey Papen said Phipps has been on extended, authorized leave since June 2021. It wasn’t immediately clear if that leave was paid or unpaid.
“This whole matter is under administrative review,” Papen told The News Tribune on Friday.
On Wednesday, the department issued Phipps a “personnel order” that said, should he return to work, he would be placed on administrative assignment, or desk duty.
Phipps’ wife sought a protection order against the deputy on March 14, records show.
In her petition to the court, she alleged substance abuse by her husband and threats of self-harm. At one point, she wrote, Phipps “made a threat toward our adult child. He said he had a gun pointed at him and our neighbor from behind the front door.” She also said he has grabbed her by the neck and pushed her.
In February, Phipps was involuntarily committed to a mental facility and in March left for treatment in California, the petition states. Phibbs told his wife he had lost his gun rights for six months following treatment, according to the petition, and that he was angry about it.
A Pierce County court commissioner granted a temporary order of protection March 14. It required Phipps to stay away at least 1,000 feet away from his wife and their home. That temporary order was re-issued in April, court records show.
Law enforcement tried unsuccessfully to serve Phipps with the temporary order on “numerous occasions,” Eatonville Police Chief Jason Laliberte said in a police report.
On May 2, Eatonville police responded to the Phipps’ home when his wife, who was monitoring the house’s surveillance system, apparently from off site, told police he was there. Public records show the couple purchased the home in 2000. Officers waited out of sight of the house for Phipps to drive away.
“I decided we would attempt to serve the order on [Phipps] when he was away from the residence and in a public space where we could more easily control the scene, de-escalate, etc,” a police report said.
Police served the protection order on Phipps in a nearby church parking lot after he left the home. His wife later asked them to do a security check of the house, and that’s when they discovered the damage, according to court records.
At some point, Phipps allegedly destroyed a surveillance camera and used an ax to break water pipes throughout the home, which caused water to damage wall, ceiling, floors and furniture. Police later reported that water poured out of light fixtures and ceiling vents. Items in the garage were wet and water dripped from the ceiling.
“The master bedroom was in complete disarray and multiple sinks, countertops, and other accouterments were smashed or broken. The upstairs guest bathroom toilet had been smashed and water was free to pour out from it. Most of the carpeted floors downstairs, the carpet and wood flooring surfaces upstairs, and the downstairs ceilings were completely water soaked with water,” the police report said. “The amount of flooding/water damage appeared to be consistent with the time frames in which [Phipps] arrived at and was present in the residence.”
In requesting an arrest warrant, prosecutors said they were concerned about Phipps’ well being and the safety of his wife and the community, records show. Some of Phipps’ colleagues told police the deputy had told them he’d fled to California, the records show.
Papen provided a statement on Phipps.
“First off, it’s always hard to see someone you know going through a difficult time or making decisions that are unhealthy for themselves or others,” he told The News Tribune. “The sheriff department offers employee assistance programs to help our people in every way possible, but clearly accountability is important and necessary. We expect Michael Phipps to be held accountable like any other person would, whether through the judicial process or others.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 2:29 PM.
