Portland jury awards $250,000 in sheriff whistleblower case

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon jury has awarded $250,000 to a former sergeant who says a sheriff retaliated against him for reporting unfavorable statistics.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Monday that a jury on Friday found former Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton violated Oregon’s whistleblower protection law by ostracizing Sgt. Brent Ritchie in 2015.

The lawsuit says Ritchie presented an internal report with statistics showing county jail staff disproportionately used force against black inmates.

Multnomah County, which includes Portland, was listed as the sole defendant in the lawsuit and must pay the verdict.

Ritchie says Staton stripped him of his duties as the sheriff’s executive assistant and transferred him to another building.

Ritchie says he retired in November 2015 after 25 years, four years earlier than he had planned.

Staton retired in May 2016.