King County deputy pleads not guilty to assault charge

Allegedly punched a seat-belted and handcuffed subject inside a patrol vehicle

A King County Sheriff’s Office deputy charged with a misdemeanor assault charge after King County prosecutors say he assaulted a suspect has pleaded not guilty.

Matthew Wayne Good pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault in the fourth degree at his Oct. 25 arraignment for an incident on March 5 where prosecutors say Good intentionally punched a suspect seat-belted and handcuffed inside a patrol vehicle.

Prosecutors filed the misdemeanor charge against Good on Oct. 17 after the Des Moines Police Department’s investigation of the incident found Good punched suspect, David K. Teson, six to eight times in the chest on a domestic violence call in the City of SeaTac.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Teson kicked Good multiple times prior to the assault. Teson faces a felony charge of assault in the third degree for assaulting an officer.

Investigation of the incident included interviews with the nine additional King County Sheriff’s Office deputies responding to the scene and interviews with six responding Puget Sound firefighters.

R. Scot Haug, a use-of-force expert retained to review the incident for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, determined Good’s use-of-force to be “unreasonable and not a necessary use-of-force,” according to the affidavit.

The King County District Court scheduled Good’s next hearing for Dec. 6.

According to an email from Casey McNerthney, director of communications for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, defendants in cases like Good’s “are usually released on their own recognizance with conditions of release” and “such misdemeanor assault cases do not come with a bail request.”

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office requested the court to order routine conditions against Good at his arraignment.