Tim Moses: Thought I could trust FBI
Spokane police Officer Tim Moses was so rattled after meeting with federal investigators about the Otto Zehm case that he feared an agent might be secretly recording him when he met with him afterward.
Moses knew an FBI agents from hostage negotiation team trainings, in which Karl Thompson also participated.
The agent heard Moses was upset about how he was treated, and the two met at a city gas fill-up area. Moses told defense lawyer Carl Oreskovich that he picked the spot because it was near railroad tracks. He wanted there to be a lot of extra noise in case he was being secretly recorded.
Moses said he doesn't want to use the word "manipulated" because he still respects law enforcement, but he feels the FBI basically forced him to say incriminating things against Thompson that weren't true, such as that Thompson claimed Zehm lunged at him.
"I trusted the FBI to tell me the truth. I didn't know any better." Moses said.
Moses and federal prosecutor Victor Boutros sparred this morning as Moses criticized Boutros for only showing clips of the surveillance video instead of the entire thing.
Moses said he never talked to Thompson about what happened until after Zehm was en route to the hospital, which contradicts testimony from EMTs that Moses said Zehm had been hit in the head and neck with a police baton.
Boutros asked Moses about an alleged statement he made to a witness - that Zehm had gotten the "tar" beat out of him - prompting a swift objection from Oreskovich.
Jurors were instructed to disregard the statement.
Moses said he was taken aback by how the FBI threatened him with obstuction of justice chargs.
"I thought we were all professional law enforcement," Moses said.
Oreskovich ended his questioning with this exchange: "You knew if you were charged with obstruction of justice you wouldn't work in law enforcement again would you?"
Moses replied yes.
"I was raised in a law enforcement family. I know exactly what obstruction of justice means," Moses said.
Read more from Moses' testimony in this play-by-play from the courtroom.