Investigation findings detail why DCSO deputy was fired

A Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office corrections lieutenant was fired last month for violating department policies regarding harassment and discrimination, documents provided to NewsChannel 21 under a public records request revealed Wednesday.

Former Lt. Robert Trono, who worked in the county jail, was dismissed by Sheriff Shane Nelson after he reviewed the findings of an independent investigator.

According to the documents, in June of 2016, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms notified the sheriff’s office that Trono was under investigation for not having a license to build a firearm he sold to a co-worker while off-duty.

The BATF received two complaints, one anonymous and another from a deputy who worked in the jail with Trono.

Trono was cleared in the federal investigation and the Deschutes County district attorney didn’t file any criminal charges.

Two months after the federal investigation was launched, the same deputy reported to the sheriff’s office last August that he had been the victim of job-related harassment and retaliation by Trono.

Nelson placed Trono on administrative leave on Sept. 2 and launched an independent investigation into the allegations.

According to the documents, Trono knew the deputy who filed the federal complaint and spoke about the federal investigation with other co-workers in the jail.

The deputy advised Capt. Deron McMaster that Trono’s hostility was making his time at work difficult, and he was harassing and intimidating the deputy by telling his co-workers, the deputy was a “narc” and a “rat.”

In the deputy’s statement, he said, “I feel like I am being harassed for doing the right thing.”

The investigation also highlighted Trono’s actions of intimidating other employees by saying that reporting to anyone outside the agency was disappointing to him and should be avoided.

Trono was hired by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in 2002.

Sheriff Nelson also issued a statement to NewsChannel 21

“I expect supervisors I work with to be in line with our mission and values while leading by example. If a supervisor does not display behavior that is consistent with these expectations, they will no longer be a supervisor with this office.”

Patrol Sgt. Dan Bilyeu was also fired last month. The sheriff’s office is not yet releasing any details on his dismissal, having said at the time that an investigation determined he violated agency policies.

As NewsChannel 21 reported earlier, Lt. Tim Leak was placed on paid administrative leave a year ago as the agency investigated possible policy violations, as well as one involving Deputy Eric Kozowski, who ran against the appointed incumbent sheriff in the general election last fall, but lost. Those investigations are still pending.