Kent Vander Kamp poses for a portrait in Bend, Ore., on Sep. 26, 2024.
Emily Cureton Cook / OPB
Before Kent van der Kamp became the sheriff of Deschutes County, he gave false testimony in more than one criminal case, and now many of his past cases are under review, according to Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels.
On April 11, Gunnels placed the sheriff on the county’s Brady list, which is a list of witnesses prosecutors “cannot ethically” call to testify in criminal cases, the DA said. The listing follows his office’s investigation into cases involving van der Kamp that span 12 years, from 2012 to 2024.
“We have concerns about his character for truthfulness and are unable to call him as a witness from this point forward,” the DA said by phone Monday.
The effects of the Brady list are likely to be more wide-ranging for past cases. Van der Kamp has been a full-time law enforcement officer with Deschutes County since 2008, rising through the ranks from deputy to sergeant in 2017.
Before winning the election as sheriff in 2024, he was leading the county’s drug enforcement team. Now, many of the criminal cases he was involved in during that tenure — “dozens likely,” according to Gunnels — face an uncertain future.
“There are some cases that have been identified already, and we’ve begun taking remedial actions to dismiss charges where we believe there was false testimony provided,” Gunnels said. “And there are other cases that we’re looking at to determine if that is the case.”
The DA said he is convinced van der Kamp provided false testimony in more than one criminal case, but he declined to specify how many cases have been investigated thus far.
The sheriff declined an interview through a spokesperson.
“Unfortunately, he is not available today,” DCSO Executive Assistant Samantha Albert wrote Monday in response to messages OPB left for van der Kamp by phone and email.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, van der Kamp wrote: “I am deeply disappointed by the recent decision by District Attorney Steve Gunnells [sic] to place me on the Brady list.”
“While I respectfully dispute the reasoning behind this action, I understand the seriousness of the situation and the impact it may have on the Sheriff’s Office and the public’s trust.”
The sheriff said he is “working closely with my command staff, legal counsel, and county officials to fully understand the implications of this decision and to carefully evaluate the best path forward for the Sheriff’s Office and for Deschutes County.”
The DA’s initial investigation began after prosecutors in the office raised concerns about van der Kamp’s honesty and “some discrepancies in the record that we were seeing,” Gunnels said. His office is in the process of reaching out to defense attorneys to identify other cases that should be reviewed.
Criminal charges, such as perjury, have not been raised so far, Gunnels said.
“I’m not aware of any of these instances that would fall within the statute of limitations,” he said. “If we found something that did fall within the statute of limitations and it was provable then that would be a possibility.”
The statute of limitations for perjury is three years, according to Gunnels.
The DA declined to immediately provide a copy of his office’s investigation, which wrapped up last week.
That investigation’s findings were forwarded to the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, he said, adding that if releasing the records doesn’t interfere with that agency’s separate process, he will disclose them to OPB through a pending public records request.
DPSST is in the process of reviewing the sheriff’s certifications to be a law enforcement officer over allegations he may have violated the office’s “moral fitness standards.”
During his run for office in 2024, van der Kamp weathered controversy related to his previous law enforcement experience in La Mesa, California. As a candidate, van der Kamp unsuccessfully sued OPB and the county to try and block the release of public records showing why city officials wanted to terminate him over “serious incidents of misconduct” when he was a reserve officer in the 1990s, including alleged dishonesty.
(Editor’s note: OPB continues to have active litigation in Deschutes County over van der Kamp’s lawsuit.)
Gunnels has been with the county District Attorney’s Office for more than 30 years. He was elected to its top job in 2022 and is not known for making political waves. He’s never seen such a high-ranking law enforcement official added to the Brady list, he said.
“This does not reflect on anybody other than the sheriff,” he said. “Obviously it’s a difficult thing for members of [the sheriff’s] office to deal with, but it does not reflect on their honesty and integrity generally.”
After the DA updated his Brady list on Friday, the sheriff’s office posted a statement from van der Kamp on Sunday to Facebook. The post does not mention the Brady list. It bullets the sheriff’s accomplishments during his first 100 days, claiming spending is down, and “office morale is up, lawsuits are down and community trust is growing.”
“Thank you for your trust and support. The work continues — and I’m honored to lead the way,” van der Kamp wrote.
Redmond City Councilor Clifford Evelyn said the various controversies surrounding the sheriff show the need “for more thorough and strenuous background checks on all law enforcement officers and elected officials.”
Before moving to Deschutes County, Evelyn was a longtime commander with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Washington.
When asked if he thinks van der Kamp should resign due to the Brady listing, Evelyn said, “A person with character and integrity would do so. Let me put it that way.”
Whatever the outcome, the consequences are much bigger than the sheriff, Evelyn added.
“If he steps down or if he decides not to step down, the department’s going to be in disarray no matter what.”
Editor’s note: Prior to being elected, van der Kamp campaigned and appeared in state records under a different spelling of his name, Vander Kamp. He said he has since adopted the “culturally correct Dutch way, which is three words,” he told OPB in March 2025.
