Man claims West molested him at least four times as a boy

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Bill Morlin / Staff writer

May 26, 2005

When he was a sheriff's deputy, the man who is now Spokane's mayor sodomized a sixth-grade boy, according to allegations in court documents released Wednesday by an attorney for Spokane County.

The allegations about Jim West are contained in the deposition of Robert J. Galliher, 36, of Seattle, who was asked questions under oath by a private attorney defending the county in a lawsuit.

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The suit alleges the Spokane County Sheriff's Office was negligent in hiring, supervising and retaining Deputy David Hahn, an accused pedophile. Hahn and West, who is not a defendant in the suit, were fellow deputies, scoutmasters of the same troop and close friends. Hahn committed suicide in 1981, three years after West left the Sheriff's Office for a political career.

West has denied allegations that he molested boys in the late 1970s and early 1980s, calling the claims "flat lies." West said he had "no clue" Hahn was molesting boys.

West has acknowledged, however, having recent sexual relationships with young men he met in an online chat room.

In the court documents released Wednesday, Galliher said he was between 8 and 12 years old when he was introduced to West by Hahn. As a boy, he claimed, he was given alcohol and small amounts of marijuana when he was sexually molested by the two men.

"So you've identified at least four occasions with Mr. West sometime under a period of a year, correct? And there may have been more?" county attorney Terry Lackie asked Galliher during the deposition.

"There may have been," Galliher responded.

According to the documents, Lackie asked Galliher why he wasn't currently making a claim against West.

"Because I'm scared of him, for one," Galliher said. "I mean, I'm not – you know, he's – yeah. I'm scared of him, mainly."

"You're scared of him?" Lackie asked.

"Yeah," Galliher said.

"Why are you scared of him?"

"Because he's pretty high up," Galliher responded. "He's pretty influential. With my past, you know, I'm not – I mean, now I guess it really doesn't matter because it's out anyway."

West's attorney, Bill Etter, couldn't be reached for comment on Wednesday, but he told local television stations that his client chose not to fight the release of the Galliher deposition.

The deposition and accompanying exhibits include:

Allegations that Galliher was repeatedly molested by Hahn over a four-year period prior to the deputy's suicide. Galliher claims he was fondled, forced to perform oral sex and anally raped.

Allegations that Galliher was sexually molested at least four times by West during the same time period.

A handwritten note, produced by the plaintiffs' attorney John Allison. The note reads: "Oh, oh. You slept in! See you later this morning. Please be asleep so I can wake you up. It's so much FUN!" It is signed with the initials DH, an apparent reference to David Hahn.

The deposition doesn't make specific reference to the note, but accompanying documents disclose it was written to Galliher's brother, Brett, who also is a plaintiff in the suit against the county.

Allegations by Galliher that he was molested by Hahn in his apartment on South Regal moments before he witnessed the deputy shoot himself in the head with a handgun on Aug. 28, 1981.

Galliher's admission that he didn't accuse West of sexual abuse when he was interviewed for a newspaper story in 2003 about being molested by Hahn.

According to the deposition, Galliher said he was beaten by correctional officers in the Spokane County Jail after The Spokesman-Review story was published. Later in 2003, while in jail at the Geiger Correctional Center, Galliher claims he was paid a visit and sent a message by West, who told him to keep his mouth shut. West was running for mayor at the time.

Spokane County hired Lackie to take Galliher's deposition on April 12 in Seattle. The deposition was obtained by the newspaper under the state's Open Records Act.

Lackie questioned Galliher about West's alleged abuse almost a month before the allegations publicly surfaced in news stories.

"Are you saying that Deputy Hahn started you smoking marijuana, or was it Jim West that started you smoking marijuana?" Lackie asked Galliher during the deposition.

"I'm not sure which one actually gave me marijuana first," Galliher responded before later saying he was given pot by both men.

"Did the marijuana and the alcohol that you took – this (was) in the sixth grade?" Lackie asked.

"Yes," Galliher said.

"Do you have a belief that this affected your schooling?" Lackie asked.

Galliher said it did affect his education, as well as his memory.

During the deposition, Galliher was asked to describe being introduced to West.

"He molested me on that occasion," Galliher said of West.

"What did he do?" Lackie asked.

"Just fondling. Making me fondle him," Galliher said during the deposition, adding: "He stuck his penis in my mouth."

At another time, while riding his bicycle in the Spokane Valley, Galliher said he was stopped by West, who was on duty as a deputy, driving a marked patrol car.

"What happened, if anything?" Lackie asked.

"Pretty much the same thing that happened up at Dave's apartment," Galliher responded, "but it was in the back of the car."

On another occasion, while hanging out with other youngsters near East Bowl, Galliher said, he was again picked up and sodomized by West, who was on duty. According to the documents, Galliher said he was verbally threatened and intimidated into believing his mother or brother would be arrested if he talked about the abuse.

"He'd arrest your mother or brother – for what?" Lackie asked.

"I don't know," Galliher responded. "Back then, it really didn't matter to me. I didn't – for whatever. He was a cop. He could probably arrest them for whatever he wanted to."