By Robert Snell<\/p>\n
rsnell@detroitnews.com<\/p>\n
At least four more women have complained about inappropriate behavior by Wayne County Sheriff Raphael \u201cRay\u201d Washington \u2014 including peeping in an ex-wife\u2019s window and asking a woman to bend over and flash her underwear \u2014 and taxpayers have paid as much as $85,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against him.<\/p>\n
That is according to depositions and federal court records in a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against Washington by former sheriff\u2019s office official Regina Parks that raise new questions about an alleged pattern of troubling behavior by the top law enforcement official in Michigan\u2019s most populous county.<\/p>\n
The documents include one deputy\u2019s allegation that the married Washington had a reputation of being \u201ca womanizing man whore,\u201d<\/a> offer a rare peek into the sheriff\u2019s personnel file and portray life within the top ranks of the sheriff\u2019s office as a soap opera set filled with lewd behavior, adultery and drunkenness.<\/p>\n\n The complaints and concerns, some of which predate Washington\u2019s tenure at Wayne County, come from law enforcement personnel and civilians, including Washington\u2019s former spokeswoman, WDIV-TV (Channel 4) reporter Erika Erickson, and include graphic claims. For instance, while working for the Detroit Police Department years ago, Washington was accused of placing his hand on the thigh of a subordinate officer\u2019s girlfriend and asking her to bend over and flash her underwear<\/a>, according to a transcript of the sheriff\u2019s deposition filed Jan. 14 in federal court.<\/p>\n\n \u201cI saw that allegation. Didn\u2019t happen,\u201d Washington said under oath<\/a> Sept. 8. The sheriff said he believed the accuser was motivated to lie because Washington had suspended her boyfriend<\/a>.<\/p>\n Washington denied harassing anyone.<\/p>\n The depositions were filed in federal court Jan. 14 when lawyers for the county and Washington asked U.S. District Judge Shalina Kumar to dismiss the civil lawsuit. The requests are pending and Parks\u2019 lawyers are expected to respond next month.<\/p>\n \u201cOur filing for summary judgment in this case speaks for itself,\u201d sheriff\u2019s office spokeswoman Mara MacDonald wrote in an email to The Detroit News. \u201cThe allegations are categorically false, and you may refer to the court filings for context.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of being a leader is knowing that people won\u2019t be pleased with every decision, and that hard choices have to be made,\u201d MacDonald added. \u201cNobody likes firing or disciplining people, and elected leaders are always going to take heat when that\u2019s required. We live in a litigious society; it is, unfortunately, a part of daily business. The sheriff remains focused on the agency and delivering critical services for Wayne County.\u201d<\/p>\n Parks, the county\u2019s former compliance officer and community outreach director, sued in February. She alleged retaliation and a pattern of sexual misconduct against her and other female employees. Parks alleged the sheriff touched and commented on her body regularly from 2021 through 2024, and she was fired after she said she recorded some of his misconduct.<\/p>\n Parks said Washington began harassing her and several other female employees \u201calmost immediately upon assuming the role of sheriff\u201d in January 2021, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n Specifically, Parks alleged that Washington touched or struck her on the buttocks several times, rubbed and touched her stomach and thighs over and under her clothing, and made lewd and sexual comments about her body. That includes saying he \u201cdidn\u2019t know she had all that back there\u201d and that she would look more sexually attractive if she gained weight.<\/p>\n Parks lost her job in November 2024 amid a department restructuring because of \u201cher turbulent, disruptive, and offensive response to Washington\u2019s restructuring announcement,\u201d Maria Dwyer, the sheriff\u2019s lawyer, wrote<\/a> in a motion for summary judgment.<\/p>\n \u201cHer behavior included entering the sheriff\u2019s executive suite after the restructuring meeting \u2014 which is not her workspace \u2014 yelling profanities, pacing around the suite, and patting her vagina saying, \u2018I got this, this is what I got,’\u201d Dwyer added<\/a>.<\/p>\n Parks denied patting her vaginal area. She said she was tapping her thigh and pants pocket, where she carried a mobile phone containing an incriminating recording of Washington, she testified.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you gesture towards your crotch?\u201d county lawyer Lina Delmastro asked<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Parks said.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you pat your crotch?\u201d the attorney asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Parks said.<\/p>\n A timeline of events indicates Parks lost her job one day after revealing that she had secretly recorded the sheriff.<\/p>\n Washington\u2019s administrative assistant, Rashaun Whitehead, wrote a statement to a county human resources official<\/a> on Nov. 21 \u2014 after Parks lost her job. The statement recounted a phone conversation Whitehead had with Parks on Nov. 13, 2024, hours after Parks is alleged to have patted her vaginal area in the sheriff\u2019s executive suite.<\/p>\n \u201cI have him recorded hitting on me,\u201d Parks said<\/a> during the call.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that point,\u201d Whitehead wrote, \u201cI hung up and called Sheriff Washington. I then informed the sheriff of what Regina Parks stated. The sheriff said it was not true, and we ended the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n The next day, Parks was notified that her job appointment would \u201cexpire,\u201d on Nov. 15, according to a letter from the county<\/a> that does not provide any justification.<\/p>\n During his deposition, Washington was asked about his 24-year tenure in the Detroit Police Department from 1985 to 2009, which included a stint as a high-ranking inspector.<\/p>\n \u201cWere you investigated for any wrongdoing while you were at the DPD?\u201d asked Parks\u2019 lawyer, Deborah Gordon.<\/p>\n \u201cI was investigated for some alleged situations,\u201d the sheriff said<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat were the alleged situations? Sexual harassment?\u201d the lawyer asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was several, actually,\u201d Washington said<\/a>.<\/p>\n One allegation involved the girlfriend of a Detroit police officer whom Washington supervised and her visit to the police department\u2019s offices.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd she said that you placed your hand on her leg, later moving it up to her thigh. You recall that allegation?\u201d Gordon asked<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe allegation, yes,\u201d Washington said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then she said that you asked her to see her panties and asked her to bend over, and she refused,\u201d the lawyer said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Washington said the claim was untrue.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what else were you investigated for at the DPD?\u201d Gordon said<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA family situation,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what was the family situation?\u201d the lawyer asked. \u201cWas this with your ex-wife?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you were peeping into her windows, is that correct?\u201d the lawyer asked<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was alleged,\u201d Washington said. \u201c\u2026 I was actually picking up my son.\u201d<\/p>\n The ex-wife filed a police report, and DPD\u2019s Internal Affairs unit investigated the allegation, Washington said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it was found to be unfounded,\u201d Washington said<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a separate deposition, Delmastro, the county lawyer, questioned Parks and asked about her history of financial problems, including four bankruptcies<\/a>. Under questioning, Parks said she had sexual relationships with two colleagues, including a member of the department\u2019s executive protection unit and Michael Turner<\/a>, her married boss who was the sheriff\u2019s chief of staff.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you would have sexual relations with Mr. Turner,\u201d the lawyer asked<\/a> Parks on Sept. 16, \u201cwhere would those occur?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA hotel,\u201d Parks said<\/a>, \u201cand at my house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid they ever occur at the office?\u201d the lawyer asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNot that I recall,\u201d Parks said.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think you would recall something like that?\u201d Delmastro asked<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t remember having sex with him at the office,\u201d Parks said.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there anyone else at the county that you had a sexual relationship with?\u201d Dwyer asked<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Parks said.<\/p>\n The sheriff was also asked about Lacey Polderdyke and her tenure as a Wayne County Sheriff\u2019s deputy.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sought massages from her, is that correct?\u201d Parks\u2019 attorney asked<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Washington said.<\/p>\n Polderdyke filed a sexual harassment lawsuit<\/a> against Washington in May 2017. The lawsuit said Washington, who at the time was deputy chief of courts, \u201chas a reputation of being a womanizing \u2018man whore\u2019 who preys upon subordinate female employees.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit described how Polderdyke was summoned to Washington\u2019s office after he was relocated from Detroit to Hamtramck in 2014. Polderdyke brought a female colleague with her.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce they arrived, defendant Washington told Deputy Polderdyke to massage his neck because it was bothering him,\u201d the lawsuit reads<\/a>. \u201cRather than risk retaliation, she briefly rubbed the right side of his neck\/shoulder then left the office.\u201d<\/p>\n Polderdyke also described attending planning meetings with the sheriff for the funeral of a former Wayne County sheriff\u2019s deputy<\/a> in summer 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring some meetings, defendant Washington would move his chair close enough to Deputy Polderdyke so that his thigh almost touched hers,\u201d the lawsuit alleged. \u201cEvery time he did that, she quickly moved away.\u201d<\/p>\n During another planning meeting, Washington sat next to her, positioned his chair so he was facing Polderdyke and tried to talk to her. She rebuffed the sheriff once she realized he wanted to talk about non-departmental topics, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n After the meeting, Washington and a high-ranking official \u201cconfronted Polderdyke and berated her about having a \u2018negative attitude\u2019 and not being a \u2018team player,’\u201d according to the lawsuit. \u201cSeveral eyewitnesses to the incident wrote letters to the Sheriff complaining of the manner in which defendants treated Deputy Polderdyke.\u201d<\/p>\n At one point, Polderdyke texted Washington about a job in the court system.<\/p>\n \u201cHe texted back that he would add her name to the list,\u201d the lawsuit reads, \u201cafter he got his massage.\u201d<\/p>\n Polderdyke saved the text and filed it in federal court.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it inappropriate for a chief to ask a subordinate \u2014 female subordinate \u2014 for a massage?\u201d Parks\u2019 lawyer asked<\/a> the sheriff during the deposition.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you did that,\u201d the lawyer said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see that it was a back-and-forth banter, laughing at each other about what we were saying,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it wasn\u2019t so funny to her because she later sued you, sir,\u201d the lawyer said<\/a>. \u201cCorrect?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Washington said.<\/p>\n The county settled the lawsuit 14 months after Polderdyke filed a copy of the text messages.<\/p>\n The settlement is undisclosed in federal court records, but Wayne County Commission meeting minutes show the board approved paying as much as $85,000<\/a> to settle the Polderdyke case and a second lawsuit in August 2018.<\/p>\n The settlement did not halt Washington\u2019s ascent through the ranks of the sheriff\u2019s department.<\/p>\n In January 2021, less than three years after the Polderdyke settlement, Washington was selected<\/a> to replace longtime Sheriff Benny Napoleon, who died of COVID-19.<\/p>\n Washington later hired veteran TV reporter Erika Erickson to serve as his spokeswoman from November 2021 to October 2022. At one point, a meeting was held to address Erickson\u2019s concerns about the sheriff calling men and women \u201cbabe,\u201d Washington testified during his deposition.<\/p>\n \u201cThe meeting was about, she was concerned that she wanted to look out for me,\u201d Washington testified<\/a>. \u201c(Erickson) said, \u2018Look, sometimes you say babe, but I hear you say it to other people, other men and women. I don\u2019t think you should do that. And if it relates to me, please don\u2019t do that.’\u201d<\/p>\n During the meeting, the conversation focused on concerns that Washington ogled women.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were doing an interview outside with a news reporter,\u201d Washington said. \u201c(Erickson) said, \u2018I saw you looking at this lady walking by.\u2019 I said, \u2018Erica, I look at every single person that walks by me outside.\u2019 And \u2026 I guess it was like an ah-ha moment for her. \u2018I guess you do, you\u2019re the police.’\u201d<\/p>\n Washington said he fired Erickson \u201cnot long after our meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had to terminate her because of her third time being publicly highly intoxicated,\u201d Washington said. \u201cAnd it was my decision to say she couldn\u2019t be there anymore after the third time. She was arrested, as a matter of fact.\u201d<\/p>\n Her LinkedIn profile says she stopped working for the county in October 2022. On Oct. 16 of that year, she was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, according to 44th District Court records in Royal Oak. Erickson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor, was sentenced to probation and community service, and fined.<\/p>\n She lost her job Oct. 19, three days after the drunken-driving incident, according to a letter that makes no mention of the criminal case.<\/p>\n Erickson referred a call seeking comment to Gordon, her lawyer. Gordon declined comment.<\/p>\n An email obtained by The News from Erickson to Turner, the sheriff\u2019s chief of staff, and Undersheriff Mike Jaafar, in July 2022, shows Erickson raising concerns about Washington\u2019s \u201csexually harassing behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was under the impression that you both felt like it posed a problem, and still does,\u201d Erickson wrote. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked several times about his comments and how much I wish the best for him, this agency and the people who work for him. I do not want to cause any unnecessary stress to anyone, but I also have to look out for myself and this agency. I feel like I am carrying a burden now, alone.<\/p>\n \u201cI have spoken to you both about this extensively and nothing has been resolved,\u201d Erickson added. \u201cI\u2019ve been willing to overlook comments from the sheriff, like calling me Baby and Babe on numerous occasions (and as recently as Saturday) and by asking me to stay in his room in Mackinac with him several times, or asking me to wear certain clothing, etc. \u2026 I understand its campaign season and a delicate time, but I did not ask for this. I feel like I am being backed into a corner.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sincerely asking you both for your help in this matter as soon as possible,\u201d Erickson wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Taxpayers have paid as much as $85,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against the sheriff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":1400982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[24,20,21,22],"tags":[],"feature":[],"location":[85,198],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[7481],"class_list":["post-1400981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-public-safety","category-latest-headlines","category-local-news","category-news","location-michigan","location-wayne-county"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"","primary_tag":0,"print_workflow_body":{"deck_headline":"WAYNE COUNTY","print_title":"Sex harassment claims multiply against Sheriff Washington","print_subheadline":"","print_planned_ready":"","print_pub_date":"","print_slug":"NHS-L-DNsheriff0202","print_budget_line":"","print_excerpt":"Taxpayers have paid as much as $85,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against the sheriff.","print_notes":"","photo_limits":"Photo limits are: 1 featured image, 5 featured gallery images, 5 embedded gallery images and 5 in-article embedded images. Articles that exceed these limits will not export. Please adjust images to reflect these limits.","print_featured_gallery_richtext":" [gallery ids=\"1400982,1400983\"]<\/p>","print_inline_galleries_richtext":"","print_inline_images_richtext":"","print_content":" By Robert Snell<\/p> rsnell@detroitnews.com<\/p> At least four more women have complained about inappropriate behavior by Wayne County Sheriff Raphael \u201cRay\u201d Washington \u2014 including peeping in an ex-wife\u2019s window and asking a woman to bend over and flash her underwear \u2014 and taxpayers have paid as much as $85,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against him.<\/p> That is according to depositions and federal court records in a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against Washington by former sheriff\u2019s office official Regina Parks that raise new questions about an alleged pattern of troubling behavior by the top law enforcement official in Michigan\u2019s most populous county.<\/p> The documents include one deputy\u2019s allegation that the married Washington had a reputation of being \u201ca womanizing man whore,\u201d<\/a> offer a rare peek into the sheriff\u2019s personnel file and portray life within the top ranks of the sheriff\u2019s office as a soap opera set filled with lewd behavior, adultery and drunkenness.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> The complaints and concerns, some of which predate Washington\u2019s tenure at Wayne County, come from law enforcement personnel and civilians, including Washington\u2019s former spokeswoman, WDIV-TV (Channel 4) reporter Erika Erickson, and include graphic claims. For instance, while working for the Detroit Police Department years ago, Washington was accused of placing his hand on the thigh of a subordinate officer\u2019s girlfriend and asking her to bend over and flash her underwear<\/a>, according to a transcript of the sheriff\u2019s deposition filed Jan. 14 in federal court.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u201cI saw that allegation. Didn\u2019t happen,\u201d Washington said under oath<\/a> Sept. 8. The sheriff said he believed the accuser was motivated to lie because Washington had suspended her boyfriend<\/a>.<\/p> Washington denied harassing anyone.<\/p> The depositions were filed in federal court Jan. 14 when lawyers for the county and Washington asked U.S. District Judge Shalina Kumar to dismiss the civil lawsuit. The requests are pending and Parks\u2019 lawyers are expected to respond next month.<\/p> \u201cOur filing for summary judgment in this case speaks for itself,\u201d sheriff\u2019s office spokeswoman Mara MacDonald wrote in an email to The Detroit News. \u201cThe allegations are categorically false, and you may refer to the court filings for context.<\/p> \u201cPart of being a leader is knowing that people won\u2019t be pleased with every decision, and that hard choices have to be made,\u201d MacDonald added. \u201cNobody likes firing or disciplining people, and elected leaders are always going to take heat when that\u2019s required. We live in a litigious society; it is, unfortunately, a part of daily business. The sheriff remains focused on the agency and delivering critical services for Wayne County.\u201d<\/p> Parks, the county\u2019s former compliance officer and community outreach director, sued in February. She alleged retaliation and a pattern of sexual misconduct against her and other female employees. Parks alleged the sheriff touched and commented on her body regularly from 2021 through 2024, and she was fired after she said she recorded some of his misconduct.<\/p> Parks said Washington began harassing her and several other female employees \u201calmost immediately upon assuming the role of sheriff\u201d in January 2021, according to the lawsuit.<\/p> Specifically, Parks alleged that Washington touched or struck her on the buttocks several times, rubbed and touched her stomach and thighs over and under her clothing, and made lewd and sexual comments about her body. That includes saying he \u201cdidn\u2019t know she had all that back there\u201d and that she would look more sexually attractive if she gained weight.<\/p> Parks lost her job in November 2024 amid a department restructuring because of \u201cher turbulent, disruptive, and offensive response to Washington\u2019s restructuring announcement,\u201d Maria Dwyer, the sheriff\u2019s lawyer, wrote<\/a> in a motion for summary judgment.<\/p> \u201cHer behavior included entering the sheriff\u2019s executive suite after the restructuring meeting \u2014 which is not her workspace \u2014 yelling profanities, pacing around the suite, and patting her vagina saying, \u2018I got this, this is what I got,'\u201d Dwyer added<\/a>.<\/p> Parks denied patting her vaginal area. She said she was tapping her thigh and pants pocket, where she carried a mobile phone containing an incriminating recording of Washington, she testified.<\/p> \u201cDid you gesture towards your crotch?\u201d county lawyer Lina Delmastro asked<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cNo,\u201d Parks said.<\/p> \u201cDid you pat your crotch?\u201d the attorney asked.<\/p> \u201cNo,\u201d Parks said.<\/p> A timeline of events indicates Parks lost her job one day after revealing that she had secretly recorded the sheriff.<\/p> Washington\u2019s administrative assistant, Rashaun Whitehead, wrote a statement to a county human resources official<\/a> on Nov. 21 \u2014 after Parks lost her job. The statement recounted a phone conversation Whitehead had with Parks on Nov. 13, 2024, hours after Parks is alleged to have patted her vaginal area in the sheriff\u2019s executive suite.<\/p> \u201cI have him recorded hitting on me,\u201d Parks said<\/a> during the call.<\/p> \u201cAt that point,\u201d Whitehead wrote, \u201cI hung up and called Sheriff Washington. I then informed the sheriff of what Regina Parks stated. The sheriff said it was not true, and we ended the conversation.\u201d<\/p> The next day, Parks was notified that her job appointment would \u201cexpire,\u201d on Nov. 15, according to a letter from the county<\/a> that does not provide any justification.<\/p> During his deposition, Washington was asked about his 24-year tenure in the Detroit Police Department from 1985 to 2009, which included a stint as a high-ranking inspector.<\/p> \u201cWere you investigated for any wrongdoing while you were at the DPD?\u201d asked Parks\u2019 lawyer, Deborah Gordon.<\/p> \u201cI was investigated for some alleged situations,\u201d the sheriff said<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cWhat were the alleged situations? Sexual harassment?\u201d the lawyer asked.<\/p> \u201cIt was several, actually,\u201d Washington said<\/a>.<\/p> One allegation involved the girlfriend of a Detroit police officer whom Washington supervised and her visit to the police department\u2019s offices.<\/p> \u201cAnd she said that you placed your hand on her leg, later moving it up to her thigh. You recall that allegation?\u201d Gordon asked<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cThe allegation, yes,\u201d Washington said.<\/p> \u201cAnd then she said that you asked her to see her panties and asked her to bend over, and she refused,\u201d the lawyer said<\/a>.<\/p> Washington said the claim was untrue.<\/p> \u201cAnd what else were you investigated for at the DPD?\u201d Gordon said<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cA family situation,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p> \u201cAnd what was the family situation?\u201d the lawyer asked. \u201cWas this with your ex-wife?\u201d<\/p> \u201cYes,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p> \u201cAnd you were peeping into her windows, is that correct?\u201d the lawyer asked<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cThat was alleged,\u201d Washington said. \u201c\u2026 I was actually picking up my son.\u201d<\/p> The ex-wife filed a police report, and DPD\u2019s Internal Affairs unit investigated the allegation, Washington said.<\/p> \u201cAnd it was found to be unfounded,\u201d Washington said<\/a>.<\/p> In a separate deposition, Delmastro, the county lawyer, questioned Parks and asked about her history of financial problems, including four bankruptcies<\/a>. Under questioning, Parks said she had sexual relationships with two colleagues, including a member of the department\u2019s executive protection unit and Michael Turner<\/a>, her married boss who was the sheriff\u2019s chief of staff.<\/p> \u201cWhen you would have sexual relations with Mr. Turner,\u201d the lawyer asked<\/a> Parks on Sept. 16, \u201cwhere would those occur?\u201d<\/p> \u201cA hotel,\u201d Parks said<\/a>, \u201cand at my house.\u201d<\/p> \u201cDid they ever occur at the office?\u201d the lawyer asked.<\/p> \u201cNot that I recall,\u201d Parks said.<\/p> \u201cDon\u2019t you think you would recall something like that?\u201d Delmastro asked<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cI don\u2019t remember having sex with him at the office,\u201d Parks said.<\/p> \u201cIs there anyone else at the county that you had a sexual relationship with?\u201d Dwyer asked<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cNo,\u201d Parks said.<\/p> The sheriff was also asked about Lacey Polderdyke and her tenure as a Wayne County Sheriff\u2019s deputy.<\/p> \u201cYou sought massages from her, is that correct?\u201d Parks\u2019 attorney asked<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cNo,\u201d Washington said.<\/p> Polderdyke filed a sexual harassment lawsuit<\/a> against Washington in May 2017. The lawsuit said Washington, who at the time was deputy chief of courts, \u201chas a reputation of being a womanizing \u2018man whore\u2019 who preys upon subordinate female employees.\u201d<\/p> The lawsuit described how Polderdyke was summoned to Washington\u2019s office after he was relocated from Detroit to Hamtramck in 2014. Polderdyke brought a female colleague with her.<\/p> \u201cOnce they arrived, defendant Washington told Deputy Polderdyke to massage his neck because it was bothering him,\u201d the lawsuit reads<\/a>. \u201cRather than risk retaliation, she briefly rubbed the right side of his neck\/shoulder then left the office.\u201d<\/p> Polderdyke also described attending planning meetings with the sheriff for the funeral of a former Wayne County sheriff\u2019s deputy<\/a> in summer 2016.<\/p> \u201cDuring some meetings, defendant Washington would move his chair close enough to Deputy Polderdyke so that his thigh almost touched hers,\u201d the lawsuit alleged. \u201cEvery time he did that, she quickly moved away.\u201d<\/p> During another planning meeting, Washington sat next to her, positioned his chair so he was facing Polderdyke and tried to talk to her. She rebuffed the sheriff once she realized he wanted to talk about non-departmental topics, according to the lawsuit.<\/p> After the meeting, Washington and a high-ranking official \u201cconfronted Polderdyke and berated her about having a \u2018negative attitude\u2019 and not being a \u2018team player,'\u201d according to the lawsuit. \u201cSeveral eyewitnesses to the incident wrote letters to the Sheriff complaining of the manner in which defendants treated Deputy Polderdyke.\u201d<\/p> At one point, Polderdyke texted Washington about a job in the court system.<\/p> \u201cHe texted back that he would add her name to the list,\u201d the lawsuit reads, \u201cafter he got his massage.\u201d<\/p> Polderdyke saved the text and filed it in federal court.<\/p> \u201cIs it inappropriate for a chief to ask a subordinate \u2014 female subordinate \u2014 for a massage?\u201d Parks\u2019 lawyer asked<\/a> the sheriff during the deposition.<\/p> \u201cIt would be,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p> \u201cAnd you did that,\u201d the lawyer said.<\/p> \u201cYou\u2019ll see that it was a back-and-forth banter, laughing at each other about what we were saying,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p> \u201cBut it wasn\u2019t so funny to her because she later sued you, sir,\u201d the lawyer said<\/a>. \u201cCorrect?\u201d<\/p> \u201cYeah,\u201d Washington said.<\/p> The county settled the lawsuit 14 months after Polderdyke filed a copy of the text messages.<\/p> The settlement is undisclosed in federal court records, but Wayne County Commission meeting minutes show the board approved paying as much as $85,000<\/a> to settle the Polderdyke case and a second lawsuit in August 2018.<\/p> The settlement did not halt Washington\u2019s ascent through the ranks of the sheriff\u2019s department.<\/p> In January 2021, less than three years after the Polderdyke settlement, Washington was selected<\/a> to replace longtime Sheriff Benny Napoleon, who died of COVID-19.<\/p> Washington later hired veteran TV reporter Erika Erickson to serve as his spokeswoman from November 2021 to October 2022. At one point, a meeting was held to address Erickson\u2019s concerns about the sheriff calling men and women \u201cbabe,\u201d Washington testified during his deposition.<\/p>What the lawsuit claims<\/h4>\n
Washington\u2019s \u2018family situation\u2019<\/h4>\n
Sheriff denies making massage request<\/h4>\n
Sheriff\u2019s office conduct<\/h4>\n
What the lawsuit claims<\/h4>
Washington\u2019s \u2018family situation\u2019<\/h4>
Sheriff denies making massage request<\/h4>
Sheriff\u2019s office conduct<\/h4>