KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — A defense attorney has asked for charges against Klamath County Sheriff Frank Skrah to be dismissed, saying the misdemeanor indictment from last fall doesn’t conform to legal requirements.
Rosalind Lee said in a motion filed two weeks ago in Klamath Falls that the indictment covers four alleged incidents and should therefore be four separate indictments. When the state combines cases, according to Lee, they must provide justification and have not done so.
Skrah has been charged assault, harassment, strangulation and official misconduct. The allegations stem from complaints he mistreated suspects.
The sheriff has denied wrongdoing and remains on the job.
The charges coincided with state and county labor complaints from deputies who claimed they faced retaliation from Skrah after they were interviewed by state investigators. The Herald and News reports (https://is.gd/6Np4FI ) that an initial union complaint was resolved, but individual sheriff’s office employees continue to threaten legal action because of workplace violations.
In her recent court filings, Lee also details the allegations against the sheriff and questions their validity.
In 2013, Skrah allegedly harassed a man who was arrested during a raid in Malin. The state claims Skrah held a flashlight against the man’s throat while the suspect was in custody.
Lee said many officers from Oregon and California took part in the raid and only one, a Klamath County sheriff’s deputy, described contact from Skrah in his report.
In January 2014, Skrah allegedly assaulted a man who was under arrest for trespassing and criminal mischief. Statements from deputies said Skrah struck the man twice in the face.
Lee, however, said the official report of the incident made no mention of Skrah striking the suspect. Moreover, she said deputies gave different accounts to investigators, with one saying Skrah used a closed fist and another saying it was an open hand.
The official misconduct charge stems from a July 2014 incident in which a deputy struck about 30 privately owned mailboxes while on duty. After the deputy notified Skrah of the incident, Skrah allegedly made no attempt to contact or compensate the property owners.
Lee said the deputy, by his own admission, also failed to contact the owners.
Finally, on Feb. 27, 2015, Skrah allegedly choked a man who was in custody after a high-speed chase and standoff in Klamath Falls. Of the nine officers present, not one mentioned an assault against the suspect in their reports, Lee wrote.
Also, according to Lee, the suspect told investigators he was choked by a deputy, not Skrah.
