Seattle cop accused of head-butting fiancee down stairs, sexually abusing her
Officer Jonathan Goodwin previously faced allegations that he raped a Renton woman in 2020.
Content note: The following post contains references to suicide and descriptions of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse.
Seattle Police Officer Jonathan Goodwin is currently on administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations that he head-butted his fiancée down the stairs in their shared home in early April. Days after the alleged incident, the woman sought a protective order in Snohomish County, and the court ordered Goodwin to surrender his weapons.
In her petition for a protective order, the woman stated that the two had been living together since 2022. She wrote that the relationship had grown increasingly “volatile” since January, and the arguments had become “more and more aggressive.” According to the petition, Goodwin’s alleged abuse was mainly verbal. She wrote that he hovered over her menacingly and yelled in her face, calling her names like “slut,” “whore,” and “worthless.”
However, she wrote that it crossed the line into physical harm on April 10. During an argument, Goodwin reportedly backed her out of the bedroom to the edge of the stairs and “pushed his face against [hers],” causing her to fall down two flights of stairs.
Goodwin stood over her, recording her with his phone and trying to get her to admit that she “flopped” and “did it to [herself],” according to the petition.
The petition has pictures of her injuries, including bruises on her head and arms, as well as scrapes and cuts on her hands. Goodwin allegedly told her that no one would believe her because “he’s a cop and [she’s] crazy.”
On the night before, she stated that the two had consensual sex. She wrote that he “became violent” and the sex was “painful,” so she asked him to stop, but he didn’t. Goodwin was previously accused of rape in 2020 by a woman in Renton, whom he met on a dating app.
The police report is vague, but the woman told Renton police that she did not consent and that Goodwin was being “forceful.” She declined to participate in the Office of Police Accountability investigation. OPA cleared Goodwin primarily based on his account of the events and the fact that RPD did not find probable cause.
The petition for the protective order also described Goodwin as suicidal. She wrote that he has experienced “night terrors” since he was a child and that lately his mental state has deteriorated over fears that his “double life” would be “exposed.” The woman claims Goodwin abuses steroids.
Goodwin has at least seven guns and keeps two by the bed, according to the petition. His fiancée wrote that she had hidden his rifle in the past at the request of his mother because of Goodwin’s suicidal ideation and provided texts that corroborate this.
She also notes that Goodwin logged her out of the in-car computer on her personal vehicle and logged himself in, enabling him to track her whereabouts remotely.
The OPA investigation into this incident has been tolled, which typically happens when there is an open police investigation or a charging decision has not been made. It can sometimes take years for the OPA to resolve cases involving criminal misconduct.
For example, Officer Andrew Swartz was on paid administrative leave for over two years before he was terminated. The OPA took seven years to issue findings against Det. Anthony Belgarde for an off-duty assault in Port Orchard, but by that time, the deadline for discipline had long passed.
We have an open request for related police reports and will update this post as soon as we receive them.