After guilty plea, ex-Pierce County sheriff’s sergeant abandons skewed investigation claims

A former Pierce County sheriff’s sergeant, who accused the county and city of Tacoma of conducting a skewed investigation into his 2018 assault case, has dropped those claims after entering into a plea deal that allowed him to avoid any new jail time.

An attorney representing Robert Glen Carpenter, 52, filed motions to dismiss separate federal lawsuits against the county and the city following Carpenter’s sentencing late last month, court records show.

Carpenter’s 25-year career included a lengthy stint as the department’s top defensive-tactics instructor. He was fired soon after he was charged in December 2018 with first-degree assault, stemming from an off-duty incident two months earlier when he stabbed a man in both hands. The men had met at an Eastside Tacoma bar.

Carpenter, who sought $18 million in damages from the county and the city related to his firing, contends that he was the victim of a robbery. In civil lawsuits moved to federal court in January, he claimed that the victim took his firearm and pointed it at his head outside a marijuana dispensary, where the men and another had gone after the bar.

He also claimed that his senior officer status and struggles with alcohol dependency played roles in his termination, and he accused the sheriff’s department of hostility and frequently targeting officers because of disabilities, age and race.

According to the charging document from the incident, the victim took the gun after feeling threatened when Carpenter lifted his shirt to expose it. Carpenter was previously sued for excessive use of force in 2014, but that case was dismissed two years later, court records show.

On Oct. 24, Carpenter pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of felony harassment in the stabbing case and was sentenced three days later to credit for 24 days previously served in jail. On Oct. 28 and Oct. 31, his attorney, Harry Williams, filed motions to dismiss the civil lawsuits against the county and the city, respectively, court records show.

Attorney Bryan Hershman, who represented Carpenter in the criminal and civil matters, maintained that Carpenter acted in self-defense, and he claimed to have corroborating video evidence. He also said the plea deal had no bearing on the decision to abandon the federal lawsuits.

“He’s at peace at where we are and wants to move on with his life,” Hershman told The News Tribune. “And that’s exactly what he should do.”

Hershman said that Carpenter only pleaded guilty to take advantage of the plea bargain. If convicted of assault, he could have faced between seven to 10 years in prison.

Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Adam Faber said Tuesday that he had nothing to add other than noting that the matter was now concluded. Tacoma City Attorney Bill Fosbre said the city was “pleased” with Carpenter’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit against the city.

“The City Attorney’s Office was prepared to vigorously defend against this matter, but we are glad that we can save taxpayer resources,” Fosbre said in a statement.