An Orting School Board member who was recently arrested for his alleged role in the January 2021 Capitol riot has resigned from the board.
Federal prosecutors allege video shows Richard "Rick" Slaughter, 40, attacking Capitol police with a pole, The News Tribune reported. Prosecutors accuse his stepson, Caden Paul Gottfried, 20, of being part of a mob that pushed against officers.
Slaughter, the Orting School Board member, and Gottfried are facing felony and misdemeanor charges that include assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers, The News Tribune reported. Court papers allege Slaughter admitted to being at the Capitol but that he denied any criminal activity. He was arrested in Tacoma Oct. 12.
School board president Carrie Thibodeaux wrote in a statement Oct. 19 that Slaughter had resigned from the board. The statement said the board will speak about his resignation during the next school board meeting, 6 p.m. Oct. 20.
"In my conversations with Rick, he expressed this decision was grounded in his love for his family. While we appreciate Rick's service to the District, we are also saddened by the hurt and frustration recent events have caused," Thibodeaux wrote in the statement.
The school board will publicize the process to fill the vacancy for Slaughter's position in the coming days, Thibodeaux wrote. When there's a vacant seat, the remaining board members must appoint someone to serve until the next board election.
Slaughter won the November 2021 school board election with 1,768 votes (57.91 percent).
Before his resignation, Abigail Westbrook with the Washington State School Directors' Association said Slaughter's arrest would not affect his elected status — though a conviction would. A school board member's felony conviction is one of the ways their seat can become vacant, according to state law.
School boards do not have the power to "un-elect" a member, Westbrook said, because school board members are elected by voters.
The News Tribune reached out to Slaughter, Thibodeaux and the other school board members: JoAnn Tracy, Kathy Madigan and Melissa Kinzler on Oct. 13. The only one to respond was Madigan, who said she was not interested in commenting.
Over 880 people across the country have been arrested regarding the Capitol attack, with more than 270 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement officers, The News Tribune reported.
