Police allege woman was paid to pose as witness

Published 10:37 pm Thursday, May 28, 2009

ARLINGTON — The woman was broke. So she said yes when a stranger offered to give her a ride home from the Snohomish County courthouse.

The stranger also offered her a way to make some cash.

For $100, all she had to do was lie to police and tell them she witnessed a crime.

When police investigated, the story unravelled and on Wednesday Pepper Nicole Prigger, 32, was arrested.

Prigger isn’t the woman who took the cash; she’s the one who’s alleged to have paid it. Now the Arlington woman could be charged with felony witness tampering.

On April 19, Prigger filed a police report claiming her ex-boyfriend pushed her down outside an Arlington convenience store.

Prigger alleged she met her ex on March 9 to exchange custody of their 1-year-old son, according to court papers filed Thursday.

She claimed the ex-boyfriend, a Washington State Patrol trooper, grabbed a tape recorder from her hand, smashed it and knocked her down.

The couple have been involved in a custody battle in courts in Snohomish and Thurston counties.

The woman Prigger is accused of recruiting told police that she saw the assault and could identify all the people involved.

But that account didn’t add up for investigators, court papers said. Officers paid another visit to the woman and she admitted to being offered the ride and cash. The woman told police she first met Prigger two days after the alleged assault occurred.

The woman told police that Prigger harassed her, calling and visiting her often. Prigger allegedly showered her with gifts in exchange for continued cooperation, court documents said.

Prigger was arrested Wednesday and booked into Snohomish County Jail for investigation of bribing a witness and tampering with a witness, both felonies.

A judge on Thursday ordered her released on her own recognizance.

Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com