The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy who resigned last month after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol will be paid $14,619.54 in owed benefits, according to personnel file documents recently obtained by The Chronicle through a public records request.
Christopher P. Fulton, 31, Napavine, was placed on administrative leave during the internal investigation. He chose to resign rather than go any further with the sheriff’s office investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.
“I deputy Christopher Fulton am hereby resigning from employment with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office,” Fulton wrote Jan. 21. “Thank you for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Lewis County for the last five years.”
Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said the $14,619.54 owed to Fulton is from unused sick and vacation time. Brown said it is standard procedure to pay the benefits to officers who resign or retire.
“Those are the benefits he has earned,” Brown said.
Fulton earned $5,364 per month while employed by the sheriff’s office, according to the personnel file.
At the time of his DUI, Fulton was allegedly driving 73 miles per hour in a 60 miles per hour zone with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit. He also apparently sought special treatment from the trooper who eventually arrested him, according to a report.
The sheriff’s office said after looking at all the circumstances of the incident, Fulton would have most likely been fired had he not resigned.
Fulton has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence.
A pretrial hearing on Jan. 30 in Lewis County District Court was rescheduled to March 19.
