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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2016)
6 Wednesday, May 25, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Candidates respond to latest DCSO discipline By Craig Rullman Correspondent The turnover and formal discipline of top officials in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office continues, with the May 18 announce- ment that Lt. Tim Leak has been placed on paid adminis- trative leave for “allegations of violating sheriff’s office policies.” This follows a series of recent incidents at the sher- iff ’s office, including the firing and arrest of former Captain Scott Beard, who was accused of stealing $200,000 from an investi- gative fund, and then using the money to support gifts and trips for a girlfriend, and the subsequent resignation of Captain Eric Utter, who was being investigated for conducting an affair with a subordinate. The Nugget spoke with sheriff candidates Eric Kozowski and incumbent Shane Nelson regarding the latest disciplinary move involving leadership at the sheriff’s office. “It’s troubling to me that we continue have failures in supervision and leadership,” Kozowski said. “And it’s one of the reasons I’m running. I’d hoped Shane would be the guy to fix these problems, but he seems to be continu- ing (former Sheriff Larry) Blanton’s legacy.” In a public statement, Sheriff Nelson wrote that Leak was placed on adminis- trative leave “after new infor- mation came to the attention of command staff in the last week.” ...it is my job to take care of business... —Sheriff Shane Nelson Kozowski said, “It was no secret that there were prob- lems with his (Leak’s) lead- ership style. He was abra- sive, and unsupportive of subordinates.” The candidate, who serves as a DCSO deputy, said that he had brought these man- agement-style issues regard- ing Leak to Sheriff Nelson during a personal meeting in February. Kozowski told The Nugget that “numerous employees have been asking (the sher- iff) ‘When are you going to do something about Leak?’” “It is concerning and troubling that we continue to have these problems and they only get addressed when they become a crisis and he (Nelson) is forced to address them,” Kozowski said. In a written statement to The Nugget, Sheriff Nelson wrote regarding the February meeting with Kozowski: “As part of my taking office, I am holding meetings with all of the employees, one-on-one, for their input about the sher- iff’s office and how we are doing. Deputy Kozowski did meet with me in February. He only made general statements with no specific informa- tion that I could have acted on.” Nelson told The Nugget that Leak’s placement on administrative leave is “not criminal in nature,” and is unrelated to former Captain Scott Beard’s recent request to change his plea in the criminal case. It is unclear, however, if the alleged violations are Year-round C N ING SE RV ICE A E L S Specializing In: Window & Screen Cleaning Home & Rental Cleaning CALL FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE! FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com in some way related to the Beard investigation. Leak was formerly the DCSO investigative lieutenant, and served beneath fired investi- gative Captain Scott Beard. The Nugget asked Sheriff Nelson if he felt the fallout investigations surrounding the Beard incident were near- ing a conclusion, effectively finished, or additional disci- pline among the ranks could be expected. Sheriff Nelson said, “As a servant of the people it is my job to take care of busi- ness when and if I discover problems, and I hope the citizens agree that my record over the last 10 months proves that I will take action when its necessary, and when I find out there is an issue.” Regarding public dis- cussion of the Leak case, the sheriff wrote, “I am disappointed that Deputy Kozowski was talking about an investigation when he does not know the facts. This shows his lack of manage- ment experience because this is the second time he has commented on an active investigation. Two months ago he made public state- ments about an inmate death which is the subject of pending litigation in fed- eral court and a Department of Justice investigation. It is improper to speak on active investigations and pending litigation.” Music Night! Every Friday through the end of May from 7 to 9 p.m. at Cork Cellars! Sponsored by: Get your toes sandal-ready! CALL FOR A GEL PEDICURE. 152 E. Main Ave. • 541-549-8771 Jeff • Theresa • Ann • Jamie • Shiela • Terri • Shanntyl • Brittany JEFF BLAKE • 541-549-0897 I NSURED , L ICENSED & B ONDED JOIN NOW! And Get July & August For FREE! Some restrictions apply. For more information call 541-549-6878 www.sistersathleticclub.com
