Let’s remember when the Seattle Times reported on an improper $160K payout to a former King County sheriff deputy, on this day in 2017 (November 1)
Two years ago today, the Seattle Times published a blockbuster story from Lewis Kamb about the King County Sheriff’s Office, which had paid a secret $160,000 settlement to a former sheriff deputy in the KCSO two years prior.
Two years ago, King County paid an outspoken sheriff’s deputy more than $160,000 in cash, legal costs and back pay as part of an unusual settlement that was structured in a way that it did not receive the required level of scrutiny for a settlement of that amount.
Officials say the settlement payout — brokered by the county’s risk managers, lawyers and Sheriff’s Office — was aimed at removing a troublesome deputy, prone to insubordination and unwarranted attacks on his superiors, to ensure he would never again work for King County.
Brian Barnes, the former deputy who is now a police officer in Massachusetts, says the deal sought to muzzle his attempts to expose wrongdoing within the Sheriff’s Office.
Whichever the case, county negotiators failed to seek required approval from King County Executive Dow Constantine, despite agreeing to pay the deputy an amount well above the $100,000 threshold that required the executive’s permission.
Instead, the county’s negotiators broke up the payout into several payments, none of which individually exceeded the threshold — and mistakenly overpaid the deputy $27,000.
Details of the deputy’s settlement have emerged as Sheriff John Urquhart, who is seeking to retain his seat in next week’s election, has faced increasing scrutiny of his management style and a variety of accusations by current and former deputies.
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The settlement, signed off on in May 2015, kept Barnes employed through mid-October of that year, allowing him to attain nine full years on the job. Urquhart also signed a reference letter to help Barnes land a new police job.
Barnes, in turn, agreed to drop his complaints against the sheriff and his top aides, and not to pursue any future claims against or employment with King County. As part of the deal, both sides agreed not to talk with the media about the settlement or publicly disparage one another.
Under the deal’s terms, Barnes’ departure was deemed a “voluntary resignation,” and Urquhart was not supposed to “render any findings or other determination” on any allegations made against the deputy.
But the Sheriff’s Office notified King County prosecutors in late May 2016 — more than a year after the settlement — that dishonesty allegations had been sustained against Barnes, and reported that he “was terminated” amid a settlement, according to the prosecutor’s office. That notification prompted Barnes’ name to be added to the prosecutor’s so-called “Brady List” — a record kept of officers with credibility problems.
“He violated the agreement,” Barnes said. “Why would he do that? I live 3,000 miles away now and I don’t work for him. So obviously, he was trying to brand me as not credible for a reason. He knew that this all might come back on him.”
A spokeswoman for Urquhart said this week the department’s internal-affairs commander notified the prosecutor’s office of the dishonesty case as required by Sheriff’s Office policy.
Oh wow.
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