SPOKANE, WA – A Spokane police sergeant charged with the rape of another officer was laid off Friday, and the president of the city police union was accused of sharing information about the case when he shouldn’t have.

An internal review panel looked at the charge against Sgt. Gordon Ennis and recommended barring him from work without pay per city policy, according to a news release from city officials.

Ennis has been on paid leave since shortly after an Oct. 25 party at the home of Spokane Police Officer Doug Strosahl north of Spokane.

He was booked on the rape charge Wednesday and released about 10 minutes later. He is set to appear in court Monday.

A female officer told investigators she passed out after having several drinks at the October party and awoke in a guest bedroom to find Ennis assaulting her.

Spokane Police Guild president John Gately now faces one count each of rendering criminal assistance and obstructing a law enforcement officer for allegedly tipping off Ennis about the criminal investigation.

Court documents said Gately contacted several people involved in the investigation and may have shared investigation details with others.

He reportedly was notified of the investigation as a member of the department’s personnel assistance team, not as guild president. In his team role, Gately was instructed to help the victim in the case, court documents said.

Gately’s lawyer, David Allen, told The Spokesman-Review newspaper that Gately is innocent and that they will aggressively fight the charges. He has a court date scheduled for Dec. 21.

From KOMONews.com