How King County Sheriff responded to a rape allegation against him

A lawsuit has brought to light allegations that King County sheriff John Urquhart tried to quash a rape accusation against him.

The Seattle Times laid out the details in a story this week.

The allegations are found in court documents in an unrelated lawsuit.

A former sheriff's deputy says that Urquhart raped her 14 years ago.

The woman reported that to the FBI this summer, which later notified the sheriff's office.

In a deposition for the lawsuit, a sheriff's captain says he asked Urquhart if he wanted the allegation recorded in the office's personal misconduct file.

Urquhart said no, according to court documents.

In statements to media this week, Urquhart denied the rape accusation and also said he never ordered investigators to ignore the complaint.

The sheriff's office called allegations frivolous.

The FBI did not pursue the case.

The King County Sheriff's office sent the following statement responding to the Seattle Times article:

"The headline and story in today’s Seattle Times is intentionally misleading. At no point has Sheriff Urquhart ever ordered an investigator to “ignore” complaints against him. He, himself, has been the subject of allegations made against him since he has assumed the Office of Sheriff, and each time they have been found to have been frivolous or untrue.

"According to the FBI, the complainant in this case was not credible and they ended their investigation. Likewise, the Sheriff’s Office typically does not investigate claims where the complainant does not have credibility.

"The allegations against Sheriff Urquhart are categorically false. The statement the Sheriff’s Office provided to the Seattle Times is included below, but inexplicably was not included in its final story.

“The Sheriff’s Office has already provided a tremendous amount of information in writing to the Seattle Times and other media outlets, and we have responded to false allegations in court filings. We have no intention of assisting the plaintiffs in taking advantage of a woman who admits to severe mental health issues. We look forward to court where witnesses will be under oath and subject to cross examination.”