King County sheriff's officials countersue deputies

SEATTLE -- King County Sheriff Sue Rahr and other officials have sued two deputies, claiming a lawsuit the deputies filed against the department last year is malicious and unjustified.

The U.S. District Court countersuit filed Friday in Seattle contends that Rahr and others were acting as employees of the sheriff's office when they had the officers arrested, and therefore are immune from false or malicious claims.

The deputies are former undercover detectives Jim Keller and George Alvarez. They and a Des Moines police officer had been arrested in October of 2003 for unlawful imprisonment and assault on an informant.

Their trial ended with a hung jury. Charges were dismissed and the county was ordered to pay the officers' legal fees.

Keller and Alvarez were suspended without pay for 20 days for misconduct, and then returned to duty as patrol deputies.

Their civil lawsuit seeks damages for false arrest, defamation and other claims.

The countersuit seeks a token $1 in damages, dismissal of the deputies' lawsuit, and payment of the county's costs to defend against it.

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