Trooper accused in 3 more cases

A Washington State Patrol trooper is now accused of sexually assaulting three more women after pulling them over for potential drunken-driving arrests along state Route 520.

Today, King County prosecutors are expected to add three new charges of second-degree custodial sexual misconduct against Michael Idland. The 40-year-old man already faces seven similar charges and an allegation that he tried to extort sex from one of the women.

Idland will be arraigned on the new charges this morning in King County Superior Court.

The three new charges stem from traffic stops Idland made in September 2002, October 2003 and January 2004, according to Deputy Prosecutor Scott O'Toole. One of the alleged victims was a passenger in a car that Idland had pulled over, O'Toole said.

Two of the new allegations came to light as investigators continued interviewing people Idland had stopped, and the third called investigators, O'Toole said.

In court documents, federal investigators said Idland had a pattern of stopping women for possible drunken driving, then groping underneath their clothing and underwear in what was supposed to be a routine search.

Idland pleaded not guilty to the original charges. His attorney could not be reached for comment yesterday on the new allegations. In a court hearing June 1, Idland's wife, Kimberly, said Idland had "a vested interest in clearing his name."

As a trooper, Idland's performance fell short of the State Patrol's standards, according to documents obtained from his personnel file. He was given a "mandatory job-performance-improvement plan" in April 2002.

His superiors found that he had an "unwillingness to accept responsibility" for his actions, contending that he refused to accept direction to improve his drunken-driving enforcement and that he handled several incidents badly, including an alcohol-related crash and someone who brandished a weapon.

They noted one alleged instance in which Idland held onto a July 2002 DUI citation "with no intent of filing the charge," then tried to void it.

They also cited Idland's "inability to properly handle a collision scene" and his "unwillingness to complete (his) DUI reports contemporaneous with the arrest."

Idland received various probationary reviews since he was commissioned as a trooper in 1999. A December 2001 evaluation concluded that he met expectations in the majority of categories but didn't when it came to judgment, taking responsibility and communicating in writing.

Idland typically worked the east end of the Evergreen Point Bridge, looking for drunken drivers as the bars closed, and referred to the area as his "hunting ground," according to prosecutors.

P-I reporter Tracy Johnson can be reached at 206-467-5942 or tracyjohnson@seattlepi.com. P-I reporter Hector Castro contributed to this report.

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