SALEM, Ore. — An internal audit released by the Department of Corrections shows that several conflicts of interest existed in contracts approved by the former head of the agency that manages Oregon’s prison industries.
DOC Director Colette Peters ordered the audit that was released Wednesday after firing Oregon Corrections Enterprises Director Rob Killgore in March. The “change of administrator review” was designed to verify that Killgore’s dismissal had been handled properly and that the agency’s contracts were compliant with state rules.
Killgore was fired following a Department of Justice investigation into the department that he initiated. He has sued the department for retaliating against a whistle-blower, but Peters said she fired him for flouting her directions regarding the future of OCE and its programs.
It found no problems with Killgore’s exit from the agency, but identified three conflicts of interest in the contracts. Investigators said each incident benefited a member of the OCE Advisory Council.