BEND, Ore. — It’s been almost a month since an Oregon Sheriff’s Office placed a supervisor on paid leave during a high-level investigation, but the office has refused to release documents that might shed light on the situation.
The Bend Bulletin reports that Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson says he rejected The Bulletin’s request for specific financial documents earlier this month to maintain the integrity of the investigation.
The inquiry involves the accounting of investigative funds. Nelson wrote in an email Friday that the requested audits and budgets are “central” to an ongoing federal investigation that’s still in its early stages.
He wrote that U.S. attorney Chris Cardani asked the office not to release the documents. A U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman could not be reached for comment Monday.
