Pasco police officer accused of ‘coercing’ DV victim into having sex with him

A Pasco police officer is accused of using his position to coerce a domestic violence victim to have sex with him.

Officer Branden Upton allegedly investigated a case involving a domestic violence victim on March 6 and then showed up at her home in uniform during work hours to have sex. He also asked her to send him explicit videos and photos.

She called the encounters a “compromise” that she agreed because she felt she had “no other choice,” according to a civil lawsuit filed against Upton and the city of Pasco.

The woman, who is not named, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Franklin County Superior Court accusing Upton of sexual assault and emotional distress. She claims the city of Pasco failed to provide necessary training for the officer. She’s also accused both Upton and Pasco of discrimination.

“This case alleges a profound betrayal of the trust that victims place in law enforcement,” her attorney Scott Edwards said in a news release. “Police officers are entrusted with extraordinary power to protect victims, not exploit them. When an officer uses the authority of the badge to pursue or sexually prey upon a crime victim, it is not merely a betrayal of one person — it is a betrayal of the public trust.”

Upton, who has been a Pasco officer for nearly 10 years, is currently on paid administrative leave while Pasco police investigate the claims, Pasco Lt. Tom Groom told the Tri-City Herald.

City officials said they are aware of the lawsuit, according to a statement sent to the Tri-City Herald.

“The city initiated both an internal review of the claim, as well as an external investigation,” the statement said. “The city is unable to provide further comments at this time due to the pending litigation.”

The suit does not list a specific damage amount, but her attorneys said she’s suffered “substantial emotional and psychological harm — anxiety, fear, shame, humiliation, loss of trust in law enforcement and emotional distress.”

She also is asking for the cost of mental health counseling and attorneys fees.

‘Picking up what I was putting down’

The woman called Pasco police on March 6 after her husband threatened to slap her, according to a protection order request filed in Franklin County Superior Court.

Upton responded to the call and started investigating the case. He returned that evening to drop off a domestic-violence victim services card with his contact information and the case number.

He gathered her address, phone number, email address and other intimate and personal details of her relationship. He then gave her his personal and work email addresses and told her to contact him using his personal email, claimed the lawsuit.

The suit said she contacted Upton, and he responded by saying she had been “picking up what I was putting down.”

He said he would come to her home the next day and instructed her to turn off her home security cameras before his visits, the complaint said.

He allegedly showed up the next day while he was on duty in his patrol vehicle. He turned off his body camera before they engaged in a sex act, said the lawsuit.

The same afternoon he allegedly asked her for sexually explicit photos, which she sent.

He returned the next day in his patrol car and remove his body camera, according to the suit. On March 16, he allegedly asked for a sexually explicit video.

He allegedly returned again on March 20, while on duty in his patrol car.

On March 22, when she tried to end their visits, the suit claims he pressed her on questions that were designed to protect him and his job. He then talked to her the next day for nearly an hour to satisfy his concerns for secrecy.

He reached out to her again on March 30 using a fake Facebook profile and arranged to meet her at Gesa Stadium. While there, he told her to delete any emails and text messages and to create a cover story to protect him from possible repercussions.

“Upton further admitted that he delayed writing the police report on plaintiff’s March 6 call because he wished to pursue a personal relationship with her, compromising the integrity of the very investigation he was assigned to conduct,” claims the lawsuit.

Upton, a Southridge High grad, was a corrections officer with the Department of Corrections before he became a Pasco officer in 2016, according to Pasco’s social media posts at the time.