Oregon public safety board revokes, denies licenses of police, fire, corrections officials
The Oregon Board of Public Safety Standards and Training revoked and denied the public safety licenses of three police officers, three firefighters and one correctional officer Thursday following reviews of allegations of misconduct on and off the job.
The decisions were made by the board after reviewing recommendations of several professional committees that investigated the allegations.
The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training's policy committees — comprised of current and former field professionals — handled investigations and made recommendations.
The policy committee bases their recommendations on numerous factors such as moral fitness violations, which include dishonesty, misuse of authority and misconduct. Decisions also are based on aggravating and mitigating factors.
Troy Page, Linn County Sheriff's Office
Troy Page resigned from Linn County Sheriff's Office on Oct. 20, 2020, after he was found to have violated sheriff's office policy by falsifying information on his background paperwork and lying to the background investigator for employment.
An investigation found Page also was dishonest several times during an internal investigation, which "threatened the efficient operations of the agency and violated Board established employment, training, and certification standards for public safety professionals," according to a memo from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
During interviews, Page failed to disclose to background investigators that he had been in a vehicle stopped by police with a person who was in possession of heroin.
In addition, Page knew some of the people incarcerated at Linn County Jail where he worked but failed to disclose that information to his superiors license Thursday.
The panel recommended DPSST take action against Page's Basic Corrections certification. The board's decision Thursday to revoked his license Thursday.
Dakota Brotherton, Junction City Fire Department
Earlier this year, Dakota Brotherton applied for a public safety license at Junction City Fire Department during the academy process.
A background check into Brotherton's history found he had a prior criminal conviction that would affect his licensure status, according to Sam Tenney, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
The board voted Thursday to deny Brotherton's request for a license.
Junction City Fire Chief Brandon Nichol said Brotherton resigned before completing the academy to become certified.
Maria Sanchez, Department of Corrections at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
Maria Sanchez was terminated July 1, 2021, from the Department of Corrections' Coffee Creek Correctional Facility for "numerous agency policy violations."
Investigators determined Sanchez fabricated an explanation as to why she made changes to a schedule and misused her authority by retaliating against subordinates who reported concerns about her conduct.
Sanchez, who worked for Corrections for 31 years, grieved her termination and it went to arbitration on July 14, 2022.
An arbitrator determined termination was not an appropriate response but acknowledged that Sanchez' conduct was "immature, demeaning, and unprofessional."
The arbitrator recommended Sanchez be reinstated to her position at Coffee Creek and that the Department of Corrections use "appropriate discipline."
Though the termination for cause was overturned, the DPSST opened a professional standards case to review conduct and determine if there was enough evidence to support revocation.
The board Thursday revoked Sanchez' license without comment.
Aaron Smith, McMinnville Police Department
Smith resigned from the McMinnville Police Department on Dec. 15, 2020, as part of a settlement agreement after an internal investigation found he was not honest about his reason for requesting sick time on four occasions.
Investigators determined Smith was dishonest to his superiors about being an alcoholic.
Since his resignation, Smith has completed an alcohol treatment program, investigators said. He also admitted his deceit when confronted about it and made the decision not to go to work when intoxicated, preventing harm to others.
The panel recommended DPSST take action against Smith's license certification, which would make him ineligible to hold a public safety certification for three years. The board on Thursday revoked his license.
Other disciplinary decisions the DPSST board made Thursday
Dennis Viereck was terminated from the Scappoose Police Department for engaging in an intimate relationship with an applicant for an open police officer position while being directly involved in their hiring process. The board revoked Viereck's license Thursday and he'll remain ineligible to hold a public safety certification for 10 years.
Peter Robinson with Clackamas County Sheriff's Office received a "no action" recommendation against his public safety license. DPSST received notice from Robinson of a criminal citation he received for "possession of natural resource/ mineral resource" after he was found to have two large pieces of black obsidian from Yellowstone National Park in his possession. The board's decision to take no action means Robinson can remain employed in law enforcement.
Steven Larsen was forwarded for professional standards review after data from the Oregon eCourt system reflected a 2018 conviction for recklessly endangering another person with a firearm. At the time, Larsen was a reserve officer with the Morrow County Sheriff's Office, making his criminal disposition ineligible for review by the Applicant Review Committee. The board took no action on Larsen's case.
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon public safety board denies, revokes officials' licenses
