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Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton today announced he's leaving office in August, about 28 months before his term is due to end. He will be replaced then by his designated successor, former Portland Police Chief Mike Reese.
Reese will join the sheriff's office now as under-sheriff and, unless something changes, stand for election for the rest of Staton's term, which ends at the end of 2018, on Nov. 8.
Staton has been under increasing pressure since February, when a his top female subordinate, former chief deputy Linda Yankee filed a tort claim notice, outlining Staton's harassment, bullying and belittlement of employees and fellow elected officials. Staton quickly settled the claim at a cost of about $300,000.
Subsequent stories raised questions about his attendance at work; whether he'd buried a damaging audit that showed deputies disproportionately used force against black inmates and punished those who prepared the report; and that he'd ordered a full-loaded new car for himself in violation of county policy.
Earlier this months, the Deputy Sheriff's Association and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees called for Staton's resignation and just this week, two of his chief deputies hired a lawyer and sought protection from what they termed Staton's 'increasingly erratic behavior."
Here's the announcement Staton sent Friday morning to all county commissioners and District Attorney Rod Underhill.
This afternoon, Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, who had asked the county human resources department to investigate Staton after complaints from his subordinates, issued the following statement:
Willamette Week