Wilkeson ordered to pay for rapes

Published 4:14 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009

By Jessica Keller, The Courier-Herald

While the town of Wilkeson has recently been ordered to pay more than $400,000 to two teenage girls who were raped by a part-time police officer in the mid-1990s, it is still unclear how the town will be affected by the decision.

In 1996, former officer Larry Jackman was sentenced by a Pierce County judge to serve seven years, 10 months in prison after Jackman pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree rapes in the assaults on two girls, then 13 and 15.

The town of Wilkeson had two separate lawsuits filed against it by the two girls in 1999 and 2001. The lawsuits claimed the town should not have hired Jackman and did not supervise him properly while he was on duty.

In 1994 Jackman began a year-long sexual relationship with the younger girl. In June 1995 he gave the older girl a ride home, while on duty, and had sex with her.

The town settled with the younger girl for $275,000 before the last trial began in early November. On Nov. 21 the town was ordered to pay $130,233 of a $325,538 settlement. In addition to the town, Jackman was ordered to pay his victims $1.39 million.

Wilkeson Mayor Doug Paulson said he knew about the lawsuit, but hadn't heard about the recent settlement until just last week.

The town has insurance through the Association of Washington Cities, but as of Friday Paulson had not been able to reach anyone to find out if the town is going to have to come up with any of the fees issued or how the town is going to be impacted.

Paulson also said he is going to talk to the town's marshall and look into the process of hiring and determine what can be done to make sure nothing like this happens in the future.

Wilkeson Town Marshall Jim Osborn, who was town marshall at the time, said Jackman had been a reserve officer in Buckley, when Osborn hired him for the Wilkeson position in 1994. Wilkeson has seven part-time officers that provide service to Wilkeson and the town of South Prairie.

Osborn said when he hired Jackman he knew him from his Buckley job and felt he would be a good candidate for the position. He added Jackman gave no indication of criminal tendencies.

"I think he slipped under everybody's radar, he came across as a very spit and polish person," Osborn said. "There was no indication. There were no red flags."

Osborn said during the trial, one of the arguments against Wilkeson was that Jackman was hired without having a psychological test performed.

Even with the psychological testing, Osborn said he was not sure that would have indicated anything was wrong with Jackman - a psychologist had testified as such during the trial.

While working for Wilkeson, he was caught with a woman friend of his riding with him on duty without Osborn's permission.

Osborn said he told Jackman that was not allowed, and Jackman said he wasn't aware of that. When Jackman was caught giving his friend a ride again, Osborn said he told Jackman in no uncertain terms if he did it again, he would be fired.

Osborn also said one of the girls had asked his permission, with a written note from her mother allowing it, to go riding with Jackman, but Osborn refused.

Osborn found out about an investigation on Jackman in 1995, a couple of weeks before he was arrested. Pierce County officers told Osborn not to take any action until they gathered more evidence. As soon as Jackman was arrested, Osborn fired him.

Both Buckley and Wilkeson are now reviewing whether to perform psychological testing in the hiring processes. Psychological testing, which is not required, can bring the hiring process to $1,000 or more.