A Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputy is under investigation after a complaint was filed with the county. Lieutenant McLaughlin, who is currently running for Deschutes County Sheriff, admitted in a social media post and video that he is one of the staff members under investigation.
Investigation Details
The complaint was filed following a conversation recorded by a Ring Doorbell Camera between an unidentified deputy and Lieutenant McLaughlin. The interaction was tied to the arrest of Paul Akehurst, who was wanted on multiple warrants. Akehurst’s mother filed the complaint against the deputies.
The ‘Ring’ video, currently in the possession of the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, shows an exchange between McLaughlin and another deputy. In the interaction, the unidentified deputy states, “I kind of want to add a charge to it and then get her for false reporting.” McLaughlin then responds, “That’s so bad, dude. That’s crazy, dude. Your vindictiveness knows no bounds. I love it.”
Lieutenant McLaughlin stated, “Because there is an active internal administrative process, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the substance of the incident or participate in an interview at this time. I would simply note that the brief excerpt referenced in your email does not reflect the entirety of the interaction or the full context of the conversation. As with any situation, context matters and I trust that the complete facts will speak for themselves through the appropriate process.”
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
