Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett was exonerated of rape allegations after a Bothell Police Department investigation found no probable cause or substantial evidence that Mylett ever had contact with the complainant.
Bothell investigators found probable cause that the accusing woman committed perjury, tampered with evidence and made a false statement to a public servant. Mylett was placed on paid administrative leave in August after Bothell police started a “criminal investigation” without revealing the specific crime. He was reinstated immediately following his exoneration.
“After reviewing the Bothell’s Police Department’s investigation, I have concluded that there is no evidence to support the allegations made against Chief Mylett and I am reinstating him effective immediately,” Bellevue city manager Brad Miyake said in a press release. “This was a difficult situation for everyone involved. We take allegations of any type of misconduct very seriously and we are grateful the Bothell police investigated this matter thoroughly.”
Bothell police has forwarded the case to the King County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
“This has been a hard time for both me and my family, and we’re eager to have the investigation behind us,” Mylett said in the release. “I’m eager to get back to work, serving residents and leading the outstanding women and men of the Bellevue Police Department.”
The Issaquah woman falsely reported the rape more than a year after it supposedly happened in Bothell. This resulted in an internal and external investigation of the Bellevue Police Department and Mylett.
“We took immediate action when we learned of the allegation,” Miyake wrote in an earlier press release regarding the Mylett investigation. “The city of Bellevue takes such allegations very seriously. To ensure a fair and thorough process for everyone involved, we will not provide further comment prior to the completion of the internal and external investigations.”
The same woman also accused two other Bellevue officers of assault and rape, but the allegations were dropped after further investigation found her claims were unfounded.
The woman, according to a King County Sheriff’s Office investigation, has a history of seeking out men on Craigslist and falsely reporting her consensual encounters as a crime and even rape. The woman had been dating Kivlin while they were both married and during text conversations, alluded that she had been sexually involved with other Bellevue officers, including Kivlin’s “boss.”
Investigators did not recommend the woman be charged with false reporting or other crimes after Kivlin’s case because of the 44-year-old woman’s mental health. King County prosecutors have not yet decided if they’ll charge the woman after her false accusations against Mylett.
“I want to thank Assistant Police Chief Patrick Arpin for serving as acting police chief during this unusual time,” Miyake said in a press release. “The Bellevue community has high expectations when it comes to public safety, and our police department continues to perform at a high level. I’m very excited to have Chief Mylett back on the job. We’ve missed having him at City Hall and he has my full faith and confidence moving forward.”
The Reporter will update this story as it develops at Bothell-Reporter.com and BellevueReporter.com. The Reporter will not reveal the identity of a suspect until they are formally charged.
