Former Wapato Mayor Arrested
WAPATO, Wash. (AP) – Former Wapato city administrator Juan Orozco has been arrested on suspicion of official misconduct.
News outlets report Orozco was booked into jail Tuesday afternoon.
Yakima County Prosecutor Joseph Brusic told the Yakima Herald-Republic he learned Friday that Orozco was considered a flight risk so deputies took him into custody.
Brusic says a criminal investigation started by his office and the Yakima County Sheriff in June is nearly complete.
Orozco took office as mayor in early 2018. He resigned in September 2018 and was appointed to a newly created city administrator position with a $95,000 salary.
Orozco resigned from the city administrator position in July amid pressure from Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who filed a lawsuit against him claiming he appointed himself as city administrator to unlawfully enrich himself.
It wasn’t known if Orozco has a lawyer.