After several attempts to distance himself from the hotly contested Deschutes County sheriff’s race, outgoing Sheriff Shane Nelson has broken his silence about candidate Kent Vander Kamp and his previous employment with the La Mesa Police Department in California.

“What drove me to make a statement is that I’m accountable to (the public),” Nelson told The Bulletin on Wednesday afternoon. “In the last week, I’ve received probably 14 emails, six or seven phone calls and have probably been contacted in person about that many times regarding the Vander Kamp investigation. I felt it was necessary to answer my community members’ questions.”

Vander Kamp, a sergeant in the sheriff’s office, currently works on an interagency drug enforcement team. He is facing longtime colleague Capt. William Bailey, who commands the patrol division, for the sheriff’s seat.

A sheriff’s office internal investigation into Vander Kamp for omitting his volunteer experience with the City of La Mesa — and the ensuing lawsuit to obtain Vander Kamp’s 27-year-old personnel records — has played a prominent role in the 2024 sheriff’s race, raising questions about Vander Kamp’s honesty and whether or not Nelson’s investigation was politically motivated.

Nelson said the internal investigation is still ongoing. “Mr. Vander Kamp has not been exonerated,” Nelson said.

Nelson, who has endorsed Bailey after announcing he would not run for another term, told the public in his news release late Tuesday afternoon that it’s unlikely any more information about the internal investigation will be released before Tuesday’s election. The release contained no other information not already available to the public. It was also posted on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.

“Sheriff Nelson’s social media post and recent email appear to be a desperate last-minute attempt to sow doubt in the minds of Deschutes County voters, directly influencing the election in a way that is both unprofessional, unlawful and, in my opinion, the definition of election interference,” Vander Kamp said in his own news release responding to Nelson’s statements.

Would the sheriff’s office hire Vander Kamp now?

Nelson stated that he would not hire Vander Kamp again knowing what he does about his record with the La Mesa Police Department. After Vander Kamp’s lawyers accidentally released the contested personnel records, it came to light Vander Kamp, who was volunteering in exchange for college credits, lied about having certifications to use a speed radar gun.

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Deschutes sheriff race: Bailey defends record after investigation shows no falsification

However, Nelson and the sheriff’s office have a track record of hiring individuals with troubling backgrounds. In 2023, the sheriff’s office hired Kevin Dahlgren as a homelessness consultant, despite him being involved in an ongoing criminal investigation in Multnomah County. Shortly after Dahlgren was hired, he was indicted for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in Gresham city funds. Dahlgren has a plea hearing in Multnomah county scheduled in December.

“I own that I made a mistake,” Nelson said when asked about Dahlgren. “I made a mistake on that. I didn’t I didn’t get a hold of his previous employer and learned the lesson … But that’s the difference. We’re looking at a vendor who’s going to do a service for us for a certain amount of time, versus an employee.”

And a jury found that Nelson wrongfully terminated one of his political opponents. In 2016, Nelson ran for Deschutes County Sheriff against deputy Eric Kozowski. Just over a year after Nelson won the race, he fired Kozowski despite a clean personnel record prior to the election. A jury ultimately held Nelson personally liable for $10,000 in punitive damages and gave Kozowski a $1 million award for wrongful termination.

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Deschutes sheriff race: Bailey defends record after investigation shows no falsification

Accusations of election interference

Nelson reiterated in his news release that the lawsuit to obtain Vander Kamp’s personnel records from the La Mesa Police Department, which has cost taxpayers roughly $16,000, was not election interference.

“This is not politically motivated. This was a complaint we received in the spring. We have a duty and obligation as a public safety agency to look into these allegations and determine if the candidate was untruthful or not, and that’s what we’re doing.” Nelson told The Bulletin on Wednesday afternoon.

The original complaint against Vander Kamp, which the Bulletin obtained through a public records request, shows it was submitted by Mandi Puckett, whom Vander Kamp says is a close personal friend of Nelson. Puckett and Vander Kamp also have their own contentious history through Clear Alliance, an educational nonprofit Puckett co-founded and where Vander Kamp serves on the board of directors. In earlier interviews, Vander Kamp has characterized Puckett as a “disgruntled former employee” and “angry” for losing her job with the nonprofit.

Around that time is when Vander Kamp said he first started hearing from former colleagues and friends that people were looking into his past.

“Sheriff Nelson’s office has repeatedly stated that this is not election interference; however, the facts, common sense and timing suggest otherwise. In an election season, Deschutes County residents deserve the right to choose their next sheriff without clouded commentary from an outgoing administration,” Vander Kamp said.

Department of Public Safety Standards and Training

Nelson’s release said that Vander Kamp could be disqualified from serving as sheriff if the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training — Oregon’s police certification agency — revoked Vander Kamp’s law enforcement certifications.

“That is a possibility. The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) would make that decision … The question of being disqualified from serving as Sheriff is not within the scope of the Sheriff’s Office investigation. The DPSST may review his certification, but the Sheriff’s Office does not have the authority to review his certification,” Nelson said.

While it is true that an Oregon sheriff must have police certifications to serve, the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training can only revoke an officer’s certifications following a separation from an employer. Before then, complaints are referred back to that individual’s employer, and the state agency can only begin investigating a violation of its professional standards if Vander Kamp is fired from the Deschutes Count Sheriff’s Office, said Sam Tenney spokesperson for the state agency.

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Deschutes sheriff race: Bailey defends record after investigation shows no falsification

There may be an obscure statute that could force an investigation without a separation of employment, said Tenney, but “most of the time when we are opening a professional standards case, it is because somebody was terminated for cause or during an investigation.”

As of Wednesday, the department lists Vander Kamp’s certifications as active.

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