A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy is facing criminal domestic violence charges for allegedly breaking into his estranged wife’s residence twice on Nov. 12.
Deputy Jeffrey S. Humphrey, 51, of Chehalis, is scheduled to be arraigned on two counts of first-degree criminal trespassing, domestic violence, at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17.
The charge is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday that Humphrey is on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the allegations.
“No further comments will be made until that investigation is completed,” the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint regarding Humphrey on Dec. 19, according to a news release issued Friday.
“Based on the complaint, the sheriff’s office requested an outside agency to conduct an independent investigation regarding the allegations,” the sheriff’s office said in the news release.
Humphrey’s wife spoke with Mason County Sheriff’s Office detectives on Dec. 20, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County District Court on Jan. 6.
According to the victim, she and Humphrey had been legally married for the last seven to eight years, but are now legally separated and have been living apart for the past couple of years.
The victim reported that Humphrey called her on Nov. 12 “and asked her if she wanted to come to a friend’s house to drink,” an invitation the victim declined.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. that night, the victim reported being “awoken by the defendant stumbling around in her bedroom, wanting to talk about their relationship,” according to charging documents. The victim told detectives she “became instantly upset, as the pair had spoken about boundaries and that she had told him he couldn’t just stop by or come into the house without speaking to her first,” according to charging documents.
Humphrey and the victim reportedly argued for about an hour, with the victim repeatedly telling Humphrey to leave, before Humphrey left the residence in his vehicle.
The victim reported that she fell back to sleep, but was reawoken around midnight to find “the defendant standing next to her bed,” according to charging documents.
Humphrey and the victim reportedly argued for another hour, at which point the victim “finally told him that if he didn’t leave, she would call 911.”
Humphrey then reportedly left the residence.
Humphrey was reportedly “quite intoxicated, slurring his words and smelled strongly of intoxicants” at the time of the incident, according to the victim.
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office completed its investigation and forwarded the case to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, which filed charges against Humphrey on Jan. 6, according to court documents.
Humphrey is being represented by Centralia-based criminal defense attorney Don Blair.
Blair previously represented Humphrey in a 2013 DUI case. In that case, Humphrey was convicted for driving through a road closure on Labree Road and Interstate 5 in Chehalis with a blood alcohol content between .143 and .159, according to previous Chronicle reporting. Humphrey was off duty at the time of the incident.
Humphrey ultimately received a deferred sentence in Lewis County District Court and was put on a two-week, unpaid suspension from the sheriff’s office, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Humphrey has worked for the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office for at least 20 years, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
