Curry County Sheriff John Ward is facing a lawsuit filed by Curry County commissioners, who have been at odds with him following budget cuts for the sheriff’s department.
Justin Higginbottom / JPR
The Curry County, Oregon, Board of Commissioners has sued their sheriff in the latest escalation of tensions between the offices.
The complaint, filed on Jan. 13 by the board, alleges Sheriff John Ward has refused to attend board meetings and provide county legal counsel with requested documents. According to the lawsuit, those documents detail things like county property, contracts, employment matters and potential liabilities.
The county’s attorney, Ted Fitzgerald, declined to comment on the active litigation. Ward was unavailable for a statement.
Last month, the board passed an order requiring the sheriff to hand over the records, attend relevant county meetings and provide duplicate keys to his office’s county vehicles.
Ward and Curry County commissioners have been at odds following budget cuts for the sheriff’s department. A law enforcement levy to help fund county police failed last year at the ballot. The sheriff’s office cut 19 positions in July, leaving only two patrol deputies. Commissioners approved the possibility of another levy to go before voters in May.
In September, Ward filed an Oregon State Bar complaint against Fitzgerald, reported in Lost Coast Outpost, describing Fitzgerald’s requests as a “vendetta fueled by personal animosity.”
And in December, Teamsters Local 223, a union representing Curry County sheriff’s deputies, released a statement “calling out the Curry County Board of Commissioners for their blatant financial neglect of the Sheriff’s Office and their continued overreach into areas beyond their authority.”
The release called the county’s order directed towards Ward “direct overreach of the commissioners’ powers” and a “violation of the principles of local governance and constitutional law.”
The lawsuit against Ward alleges that the sheriff believes he has “autonomous authority” and is not required to obey policies adopted by the board. It goes on to claim that Ward has entered into contracts that involve the county without providing specifics of those agreements to the commission’s legal counsel. The suit demands Ward hand over requested documents and abide by the county’s order.
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