Thurston County Sheriff's Office deputy Derek Sanders, who is running against his boss, Sheriff John Snaza, has accused Snaza of authorizing an investigation into Sanders' conduct for political gain.
Sanders' campaign issued a news release on Friday addressing the investigation and related rumors that have circulated on social media.
In the release, Sanders alleged Snaza had him placed him under investigation for "misconduct and social media campaign violations." Sanders told The Olympian that Snaza had approved the investigation the night Sanders won the August primary.
"The whole time they said, 'It's not political,'" Sanders said. "But the actions are completely opposite of that."
When reached for comment, Snaza said he learned about a complaint against Sanders a week before the primary but did not directly participate in the investigation. He denied orchestrating the investigation for political gain.
"The optics make me look like that, but that's not who I am," Snaza said. "To be honest with you, I'm offended by even that insinuation because I've never been that guy. It's a horrible allegation for someone to say about me when I've never been that person."
Snaza declined to comment on specific details from the investigation. But he acknowledged Sgt. Jason Casebolt, who runs the Office of Professional Standards, initiated the investigation into Sanders.
"Even though I'm a candidate, I'm the sheriff first," Snaza said. "My job is to ensure all deputies are provided a proper investigation. ... If this happened to any deputy or civilian that works for me, it goes through the same process."
Sanders signed a documented oral warning on Sept. 27, he said. A copy of the document reviewed by The Olympian corroborated the warning Sanders described.
Though he accepted the discipline, Sanders said he has filed a grievance about the investigation. Snaza said Sanders could appeal the discipline he received internally or go to the county commissioners.
Sanders said he decided to speak out about the investigation now, because he was barred from doing so while it was ongoing.
Rumors swirled on social media in recent months alleging Sanders had repeatedly disparaged a female deputy who was selected for a K9 program instead of him in July.
Sanders acknowledged the rumor in speaking with The Olympian, but said he had resolved the matter directly with the female deputy.
In Sanders' news release, the deputy identified herself as Madison Dillon and issued a statement.
Dillon said she was compelled to participate in the investigation despite her request to consider the matter resolved. She denied ever being sexually harassed by Sanders and said she strives to be apolitical as a deputy.
"Despite being told the investigation was not being conducted due to politics, I can't help but feel that it was indeed fueled by the politics surrounding this election," Dillon said. "I am not here to assist or oppose a campaign, I am here to work."
Sanders said he saw information from the investigation leak on social media as it was ongoing. He pushed back against rumors he was misogynistic.
"Maybe the most misogynistic thing here is forcing a female employee to give a statement against her will," Sanders said. "I personally don't think that's a good look. But again, we'll see what the voters say."
Sgt. Sean Chatterton, a supervisor involved in the incident, also issued a statement in Sanders' news release. Chatterton said he learned of the rumors in July and immediately spoke with Dillon.
Dillon reportedly told Chatterton she wished to speak with Sanders directly and not involve a supervisor. She later told him she resolved the incident with Sanders and did not want any further action to be taken.
Chatterton went on to say a superior officer questioned him about the incident and he explained he felt it was "handled at the lowest level and resolved." Despite stating this, an investigation was started shortly after.
"After the investigation was completed, Deputy Dillon expressed that she felt this investigation was politically motivated and did not want to take part in the process," Chatterton said.
Chatterton said his statement is not meant to endorse Sanders. He added he only intended to provide insight into the incident.
Another aspect of the investigation had to do with alleged "social media campaign violations," Sanders said.
He said the sheriff's office took issue with him using the sheriff's office patch in a social media post that has since been taken down.
"There's a huge contention on that," Sanders said. "They ended up not disciplining me for it. They gave me a 'coaching session,' which is not discipline."
