Fired Cop’s Lawsuit Against City of Redmond Results in Mistrial

The jury in a $5 million lawsuit filed by a former police sergeant against the City of Redmond and the police department’s top brass couldn’t reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial on Oct. 16.

In the lawsuit, Donald Ryan Fraker said that his February 2020 termination for alleged dishonesty was instead retaliation for filing numerous complaints for unprofessional conduct and bullying against then-police chief Dave Tarbet, along with several sergeants and lieutenants. Some were board members of the Redmond Police Officers Association. Fraker joined the Redmond Police in September 2001; he’d been a sergeant since 2017.

The Deschutes County Circuit Court will set a status hearing to pick a new trial date. Reached by email, Fraker’s attorney, Dan Thenell, said he was not able to comment on a potential settlement discussion or whether there were aspects of evidence or testimony the jury got hung up on.

In February 2021, shortly after filing the lawsuit, Thenell told KTVZ that police officers who are accused of dishonesty, whether real or otherwise, suffer career-ending consequences.

“In my opinion, because Redmond branded him a liar, he is not employable as a police officer,” Thenell said. “I have other clients who have been fired under similar circumstances. They have been branded as a liar or as a dishonest police officer and have applied to multiple agencies, and they’re just simply not employable…”

The office of John Hummel, who was the Deschutes County District Attorney at the time, held a Brady hearing for Fraker, yet it didn’t turn up evidence of dishonesty. Redmond Police’s finding nonetheless landed Fraker on the Brady List — a list of law enforcement officers who are barred from giving testimony — but as a Tier 2 entry. That means the DA’s Office would still consider Fraker a reliable witness in court.

Reached by email, Redmond City Manager Keith Witcosky declined to comment beyond stating: “I know that after four and a half years, both sides were hoping for some closure. Now it looks like that may or may not occur in 2026.”

Andrew Campbell, the attorney who represented the City of Redmond, was booked through the week and not available for comment, his assistant told the Source.

Fraker, who’s worked as a loan officer since March 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile, didn’t reply to requests for comment.

The lawsuit stems from an incident at a Central Oregon firing range in early September 2018. There, Fraker found himself practicing alongside several members of the SWAT team [which is overseen by Bend Police and includes officers from the tri-county area], including Sergeant R.C. Bigelow.

According to the lawsuit, “Abruptly and without warning, Bigelow began screaming at [Fraker] from some distance away, began throwing his tactical gear around the inside of his truck to the point gear was falling out onto the ground, and generally was acting in an unprofessional manner, including a series of angry outbursts.”

Fraker immediately left the shooting range and filed a complaint with Bigelow’s supervisor at Bend PD regarding the alleged behavior. Soon after, Lt. Jesse Petersen of the Redmond Police Department and a former SWAT member admonished Fraker, warning him not to interfere with his SWAT friends again, according to the suit. Petersen had been Fraker’s supervisor since July. Since that complaint, Fraker alleges that other department higher-ups and colleagues began distancing themselves from him.

Subsequently, Fraker alleged that he experienced various retaliatory tactics that included calendar-hopping managerial meetings that kept him out of the loop and unsubstantiated poor performance reviews that resulted in a transfer and a demotion. Additionally, Fraker alleged that Lt. Eric Beckwith, his new supervisor, attempted to “groom” him in the event he was deposed. Beckwith had been named a defendant in a separate Feb. 5, 2020, tort complaint about age discrimination and sexual harassment filed by rookie officer Craig McClure. Fraker told Beckwith that he would only provide honest testimony if called as a witness in court, according to the suit.

Thenell, Fraker’s attorney, also filed the tort for McClure and another officer Hannah Copeland, who had been with Redmond police for 20 years. Many of their accusations mirror each other. McClure sought $750,000, while Copeland asked for $250,000. Their claims include sexual harassment and age discrimination. Both lawsuits were dismissed with prejudice. Copeland has appealed the decision.

According to Fraker’s complaint, On Nov. 19, 2019, during a rash of stolen vehicle crimes in the Redmond area, Fraker supervised his patrol division’s high-speed pursuit and foot chase of several suspects. Although no injuries nor damage to vehicles were reported, Redmond Police launched an internal investigation into Fraker’s supervision of the pursuit. Fraker said he felt ganged-up on by Lt. Beckwith and another lieutenant blindsided him with onerously long questioning during two interviews that lasted hours. Fraker was subsequently placed on administrative leave for three months for allegedly lying during questioning. He asked his representatives in the Redmond Police Officers Association, which included Garland Derek Hicks jr. and Tyler Kirk, as well as the union’s retained attorneys, to contest the case. Initially, the union said it would, yet Fraker alleged they did nothing.

Prior to his being placed on leave, Fraker alleged that Redmond Police colleague threw a party attended by members of the SWAT team and a member of the Redmond Police Officers Association board. Lt. Beckwith was presented with a gift — a custom screen-printed pillow with a large image of Fraker’s face on it. According to the complaint, Beckwith began berating the pillow and yelling profanity at it before throwing it on a fire.

The Redmond Police terminated Fraker on Feb. 20, 2020, for alleged violations of the Redmond Police Vehicle Pursuit Policy, failure to provide adequate supervision to his team and alleged untruthfulness during his two interviews stemming from the internal investigation.