Why jailed Richard Sherman has a domestic violence component on his suspicion of burglary
Richard Sherman was impaired when he drove his SUV into an active construction zone alongside a freeway in suburban Seattle.
He was arrested after he apparently walked from his disabled SUV to his in-laws’ house about 2 miles away and tried to force his way into the residence.
The former Seahawks All-Pro icon and Super Bowl champion is in King County Jail for suspicion of burglary with a domestic-violence component only because of his relation to the in-laws whose house he forcibly attempted to enter—not because of violence toward any family member or a significant other.
That is the crux of what the chief of the Redmond Police Department and a captain with the Washington State Patrol detailed in a press conference Wednesday, about eight hours after Sherman was booked into jail.
Sherman is facing multiple charges. He is expected to have a first appearance in King County court Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
The details
“This morning, at approximately 1:49 a.m., Redmond Police received a 911 call from the occupants in the 18100 block of Northeast 30th Street, indicating a family member who did not reside at the residence was trying to break in,” Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe said at police headquarters Wednesday afternoon. “Officers responded and made contact with Richard Sherman. Officers attempted to deescalate the situation and gain voluntary compliance from Mr. Sherman.
“Mr. Sherman physically resisted officers’ efforts to take him into custody, and a Redmond Police canine was deployed to assist to gain control of Mr. Sherman.”
Chief Lowe said Sherman was “eventually taken into custody. Both Mr. Sherman and the officer sustained minor injuries as a result of the altercation and the canine deployment. Mr. Sherman was treated at a local hospital for his injuries and booked into the King County Jail.”
Sherman was booked on suspicion of residential burglary with a domestic violence component, resisting arrest and malicious mischief.
“The domestic-violence component results from Mr. Sherman’s relationship with the occupants of the residence, not due to him physically assaulting his significant other,” Chief Lowe said.
“The malicious mischief is the result of damage he caused to the door of the residence. ...
“His attempt to gain entry into a residence that was not his constitutes the burglary aspect of it.”
Police do not know a motive.
The background
Chief Lowe said “I believe there may be an emergency protective order in place” against the 33-year-old Sherman with a family member or significant other, issued in a jurisdiction outside Redmond.
In 2018, Sherman married long-time girlfriend Ashley Moss. They have two children together. Baby boy Rayden was born to Moss four days after Sherman played in Seattle’s final-play Super Bowl loss to New England in February 2015. After he signed with San Francisco in 2018, Sherman kept the home he lived in with his now-wife during his time with the Seahawks, in the suburban King County city of Maple Valley.
Sherman, unsigned after the San Francisco 49ers let his three-year contract expire this winter, was treated at a nearby hospital for “minor injuries.” He sustained those after an initially amicable encounter with police at the in-laws’ residence turned confrontational and required the use of the department’s K-9 unit, Chief Lowe said.
While at the hospital, Washington State Police sought and received from a judge a warrant to draw Sherman’s blood to test for intoxicants. State Patrol Captain Ron Mead said that was because troopers who responded to a construction worker’s 911 call from state Highway 520 just after 1 a.m. Wednesday found upon eventually tracking down Sherman at the in-laws’ residence signs he was impaired.
Washington State Patrol is investigating Sherman for possible additional, misdemeanor charges of hit and run and impaired driving.
Earlier Wednesday, Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson told The News Tribune that just after 1 a.m. Wednesday, a State Patrol trooper came to a vehicle that had crashed into a barrier on eastbound state Highway 520 near the 148th Avenue Northeast exit in Redmond. It was a one-car accident.
State Patrol Captain Mead said the arriving trooper found an SUV registered to Sherman with “pretty significant” damage to the driver’s side and wheel. The SUV was found unoccupied about a half mile away off the exit, driven until it could no longer operate, Mead said. Troopers pursued Sherman on the suspicion of driving under the influence.
Chief Lowe said upon contacting Sherman at the in-laws’ home, officers “joked with” Sherman. One of the responding officers had known Sherman through being a valet years ago, as a teenager. Police used that acquaintance to try to deescalate the situation.
“At the point in time he was notified that he was going to be placed under arrest, that is when the situation turned,” Lowe said.
“He attempted to walk away from the officers, and at that point accelerated his pace. At the point in time officers made physical contact with him, he resisted. An altercation occurred, and then subsequently a canine was deployed to assist in gaining compliance in taking him into custody.”
Lowe said Sherman and the in-laws talked, apparently through the damaged door. Sherman did not make entry into the residence. There was no evidence of violence toward his in-laws or anyone at the residence.
“The domestic-violence component is as a result of the relationship between the occupants and Mr. Sherman, and not because he physically assaulted anyone, any family member or significant other, during this event.”
Lowe said there is no evidence Sherman’s wife was in her parents’ residence as Sherman was allegedly trying to force his way into it.
What’s next
Records from the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle show Redmond police officers booked the free-agent cornerback and Seahawks Super Bowl winner into King County jail at 6:08 a.m. Wednesday following his arrest on suspicion of possible burglary domestic violence. That is a class B felony charge under the Revised Code of Washington.
Sherman was denied bail, according to jail records. Bail amounts are typically set at a first appearance hearing, which was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
A spokesman for the King County prosecuting attorney’s office told The News Tribune people booked into jail after midnight are typically on the court calendar for a first appearance the following day at 2:30 p.m. in King County Jail courtroom No. 1.
The King County jail cites RCW 9A.52.052 Residential Burglary in its booking record for Sherman.
Washington state law defines: “(1) A person is guilty of residential burglary if, with intent to commit a crime against a person or property therein, the person enters or remains unlawfully in a dwelling other than a vehicle.
“(2) Residential burglary is a class B felony. In establishing sentencing guidelines and disposition standards, residential burglary is to be considered a more serious offense than second degree burglary.”
Sherman had not been charged as of Wednesday afternoon.
The spokesman for the King County prosecutor, director of communications Casey McNerthney, said what is listed as a “charge” on county jail records is the booking reason Redmond police gave.
A King County judge was expected to determine during Sherman’s first court appearance Thursday afternoon whether there was probable cause for the arrest. The judge could then can set a bail amount for Sherman’s release, pending subsequent hearings and steps in the case.
Seahawks had ‘stayed in contact’
Sherman, 33, is unsigned two weeks before NFL teams report for the start of training camp for the 2021 season. Though he is a free agent, the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have the authority to punish him for this incident, as they do any player under the league’s personal-conduct policy.
He’s played the last three seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. They let his three-year, $39 million contract expire this winter. Sherman signed that deal in the spring of 2018 with San Francisco, near where he played in college for Stanford.
That was after Seattle released him rather than pay him $11 million for the 2018 season as he turned 30 years old and came back from a torn Achilles tendon.
He starred over eight seasons for Seattle. He had three All-Pro selections and played in two Super Bowls for the Seahawks as a charter member of their famed “Legion of Boom” secondary.
In 2019, days after his 49ers lost a game to the Seahawks, Sherman paid to restock the Maple Valley Food Bank.
As he’s remained a free agent, there has been chatter around the league of Sherman perhaps re-signing with Seattle this summer.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said in May the team and Sherman have “stayed in contact.” But Carroll downplayed the possibility of Sherman returning to play for Seattle.
The Seahawks used one of their team record-low three picks on a cornerback, Tre Brown, in the 2021 NFL draft.
“He’s out there. I know he’s thinking about it. He’s looking for an opportunity — and I saw where he said there were three or four teams that he’s considering, or whatever,” Carroll said of Sherman in May.
“So, we’ll see what happens. But, he’s been a great player and he’s still got some ball left in him, I’m sure.
“But at this point, we are going to clear through this day, figure out what happens with the ‘rooks’ coming up, and we’ll see where it sits later on.”
Sherman was asked months after the birth of his first child how fatherhood changed him.
“Well, I don’t get to keep my footballs anymore. He tries to take them and chew on them,” Sherman said in December 2015. “But other than that, you just try to make sure you don’t put anything on tape that your son’s going to come back and ask you about, or look at and laugh. Try your best not to get embarrassed.”
Sherman is a vice president in the NFL Players Association. The union confirmed and commented on Sherman’s arrest Wednesday.
“We were made aware of an arrest last night of one our player leaders for an alleged domestic violence incident and have activated our domestic violence crisis protocol for the protection and support of everyone involved,” the NFLPA posted on its Twitter account. “We will continue to monitor events closely as more facts are made available to us.”
The State Patrol’s Mead said Sherman will not get expedited treatment in processing his blood test and in the investigation of possible DUI because of his fame.
“An unfortunate, everyday occurrence,” Captain Mead said.
“These type of arrests occur, sadly, every single night.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Why jailed Richard Sherman has a domestic violence component on his suspicion of burglary."
