Nelson admits mistake in not checking Dahlgren background; Chang notes he was paid in full, blasts ‘shoddy’ process

(Update: Chang says issues with contract went well beyond no background check)

Sheriff says they've added background checks to improve process of hiring outside vendors

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson, under fire from a county commissioner and others for not checking the work background of a consultant he hired this summer on homeless issues who now faces criminal charges, acknowledged his error Saturday and said the department’s policies have been tightened as a result.

But Commissioner Phil Chang voiced more criticism Sunday, again calling the whole contract process "shoddy" and the results unsatisfactory.

The sheriff hired Kevin Dahlgren this summer, under a contract totaling nearly $19,000, to provide a report on the “population and needs of the houseless population” in the unincorporated county and a list of services available to meet those needs.

The sheriff’s office said this week that the contract was terminated in late August, as soon as it was made aware of an investigation in Multnomah County that led to a recent 19-count indictment of Dahlgren, alleging theft and abuse of his official position as a homeless services specialist for the city of Gresham.

Chang criticized the sheriff’s contract with Dahlgren this week, saying Nelson should have done a background check on Dahlgren’s work history and checked with the city of Gresham about his status. Whether the city would have informed him that Dahlgren was on administrative leave or provided details of the allegations at that point is unknown.

Nelson, in a statement Saturday to NewsChannel 21, admitted that such a background check was not made.

“That was my mistake, and I take responsibility for it,” the sheriff told us. “To improve, I have added additional checks (to include employers), and social media checks for outside vendors, to improve on the process for selecting outside vendors.”

“I make mistakes, and strive to learn from them, so we can be better at what we do,” Nelson added.

The sheriff's office said Tuesday it terminated a consultant contract with Dahlgren in late August, as soon as it was made aware of the ongoing investigation, with which it fully cooperated.

Chang voiced criticism on Wednesday, after Dahlgren's arrest: "The procurement process for this contract, I think, was shoddy. The scope of work within this contract, I think, was shoddy, and the work produced that was released was shoddy. And it cost us $19,000."

Chang reacted to Nelson's statement with more sharp criticism in a note to NewsChannel 21 on Sunday, again calling the whole "procurement process shoddy," citing an "extremely loose and unspecific" scope of work that duplicated the efforts already done or underway by local service providers.

"The sheriff wanted a narrative to support the camping code he was pushing during the summer," Chang said, which would have given his agency the ability force people out of camps, despite court rulings requiring that those evicted be provided a place to go.

He also noted that the sheriff canceled the contract after the work was done and Dahlgren "was paid the full amount."

"Canceling a contract after the 'work' has been done and the full amount has been paid is a joke," Chang said.

According to the Multnomah County DA's office, a grand jury approved an indictment of Dahlgren on Oct. 26 after hearing sworn testimony from eight witnesses. He's charged with 19 counts in total, including seven counts of first-degree theft, five counts of identity theft, two counts of aggravated identity theft and five counts of first-degree official misconduct.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office opened a criminal investigation into Dahlgren after getting a referral from Gresham police back on March 23, according to the agency. Dahlgren resigned his position with the city of Gresham a week later, on March 30.

The indictment lists the city of Gresham as the victim of the theft charges, each one alleging stolen property "of $1,000 or more," and names multiple individuals as victims of identity theft.

The investigation centers around Dahlgren’s use of a city-issued procurement card, an official source told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Chang told NewsChannel 21, "I believe if reference checks would've been done with the city of Gresham, it would've come up that Mr. Dahlgren was on administrative leave, and that should've been a signal to anybody that there was an issue with this individual."

Deschutes County Commission Chair Tony DeBone revealed in August that Sheriff Shane Nelson signed an $18,750 consultant contract with Dahlgren, who began his work in mid-July.

Service providers and elected leaders said they weren't notified of Dahlgren's work mapping homeless people and their camps in the area, and they criticized his final report as inaccurate.

Chang said, "And I do believe that he (Sheriff Nelson) was trying to promote inaccurate narratives about the homeless in order to support his policy agenda."

The 2023 Point In Time Count found more than 1,600 homeless living in Deschutes County.

Months later, Dahlgren estimated fewer than 700.

Chang said, "The scope of work for this contract basically said, 'Redo the Point in Time Count and give us a story, a report, a narrative about homelessness in our area."

Last spring, NewsChannel 21 spoke with Dahlgren during his visit to homeless camps around the Bend area. He said he seeks to help people suffering from homelessness find shelter, ways to get sober and access to long-term housing and ways to stay clean.

In early July, we reported that Dahlgren had held a fundraiser and donated thousands of dollars for a family left homeless since a California fire that was saying on China Hat Road.

Chang added Wednesday, "I would say that this contract, and many other things that have been done by the county or promoted by the county in the last six months or a year, have been distractions from helping us solve the problem of homelessness."

We reached out Wednesday to the Deschutes and Multnomah County Sheriffs Office, Multnomah County District Attorney, Commissioner DeBone and Dahlgren himself, but did not hear back from them.

Dahlgren, 53, has amassed a sizable following on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, where he frequently posts videos of homeless people, often accompanied by his own opinions on "empowering not enabling" them. As of Tuesday afternoon, Dahlgren had over 25,000 followers, KGW reported.

The court issued a warrant for Dahlgren's arrest, and the DA's office said that detectives with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office arrested him Tuesday morning at his home in Portland. He was booked into the county detention center.

An investigation into Dahlgren is ongoing, and the DA's office said that more victims have been identified but not yet located. Anyone who has been in contact with Dahlgren in his capacity as an outreach worker is asked to contact MCSO Detective Dylan Lerch at dylan.lerch@mcso.us.

Hours after Tuesday’s arrest of Dahlgren, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office revealed it was contacted by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office for help with “an active open criminal investigation on Mr. Dahlgren, at which point Sheriff L. Shane Nelson terminated the contract immediately on August 23.”

‘The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office cooperated fully with the investigation and offered any and all resources to assist” the MCSO in its investigation, Sergeant Jason Wall said in a news release.

Wall said community members had informed the sheriff’s office in early summer about “Dahlgreen volunteering in the homeless encampments” around the county.

“Our office made contact with Mr. Dahlgren regarding the homeless issues facing Deschutes County,” Wall wrote, and he “was eventually contracted … as a homeless consultant … to conduct outreach and determine the potential impact of the current homeless on safety.”

In late May, Dahlgren spoke to the Coordinated Houseless Response Office Board of Directors in Bend during a public comment period, saying, "Central Oregon's homelessness is a humanitarian crisis," according to May 30th minutes.

"He said Central Oregon needs to prioritize the by-name list, longer-term solutions, and data tracking. Kevin said he likes to come to Central Oregon often. Kevin said the City of Bend and (Deschutes) County need to work together more. Kevin said outreach providers are not doing enough to actually help people."

District Attorney Steve Gunnels told NewsChannel 21 on Tuesday he was unaware of any reports of possible criminal activity by Dahlgren in Deschutes County, but also said he expects law enforcement to look into Dahlgren as a result of Tuesday's indictment.