Last month, a Washington judge agreed to defer a domestic violence charge if the defendant, a detective with the Seattle Police Department, agreed to a program of probation and treatment for alcoholism. Normally, people charged with domestic violence are not eligible for deferred prosecution due to alcohol or drug addiction, but an exception was made for this case, according to the presiding judge.

The Seattle officer was charged with one count of fourth-degree domestic violence in October, after sheriff's deputies from a neighboring county allegedly saw him dragging his girlfriend across a gravel parking lot by her hair and coat. At the time of his arrest, the 55-year-old officer was a detective sergeant with the Seattle Police Domestic Violence Unit.

In the weeks following his arrest, the officer's girlfriend supported him, reportedly pleading with the prosecuting attorneys to release the officer and drop the charges. In court last month, the officer argued that his abuse of alcohol was the reason for his actions on the night in question.

Under Washington state law, deferred prosecution is allowed in some cases in which the offense was committed because of the defendant's alcohol or drug addiction or mental illness. To qualify for the deferral, defendants must meet several court-ordered conditions.

Normally, defendants in domestic violence cases do not qualify for deferred prosecution, but the officer in this case reportedly met the conditions laid out by the court. He will now undergo two years of treatment for alcohol abuse followed by three years of probation.

Source: Seattle Times, "Seattle cop's domestic-violence charges deferred," Jefferson Robbins, Dec. 30, 2011