Deschutes sheriff: County investigation finds claim ‘unfounded’

Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson said Wednesday a county investigation had cleared him of any wrongdoing in one of two complaints filed against him by former supervisors in his department.

Here’s the brief news release from the sheriff, in full:

“In June 2016 , I requested Deschutes County to investigate a job-related complaint by a former supervisor that was filed against me. Deschutes County is committed to careful and thorough investigations of these matters and hired an outside investigator to complete the investigation.

“The investigation has been completed and (the complaint) is unfounded. Based on findings, Deschutes County has determined that there is no evidence to indicate a violation of the County’s Non-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy, HR-10 or other County policy.

“As sheriff, I am committed to transparency, as well as, independent and thorough investigations of unlawful employment practices.”

In June, Nelson revealed that “two employee-generated complaints” had been filed against him in the previous two weeks, “by employees who were prior supervisors. These investigations are being handled by outside agencies and our office will fully cooperate.”

Nelson told NewsChannel 21 late Wednesday the investigation of the other complaint “is still pending.”