More of the Same?
On Sunday an article was published in the Bend Bulletin written by crime reporter Anna Kaminski. The article was titled “Deschutes County Sheriff candidate is subject of complaints filed withs (sic) state agencies”
This article was for the most part about Sheriff Candidate and Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp and his role as board president of the non-profit Children Learning through Education and Research (CLEAR) Alliance based in Prineville, OR. Vander Kamp has served in this role since 2018.
More specifically the article was about Mandi Puckett, a former executive director of the charity and two formal complaints she filed with state agencies against Vander Kamp in his role as board president.
According to the Bulletin article, Puckett left the CLEAR Alliance in May 2023 on medical leave, citing deteriorating health and advice from her doctor and mental health counselor.
Puckett signed an agreement with the CLEAR Alliance in November 2023 containing a release of claims against the nonprofit.
FIRST COMPLAINT
Puckett’s first complaint was filed with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) in March 2023 alleging discrimination against her. She updated her complaint on January 1, 2024, adding the “retaliatory and unlawful conduct [against her] continued or worsened.”
According to the Bulletin, in her BOLI complaint Puckett alleged, “Vander Kamp, Belinda Ballah, the nonprofit’s board vice president, and Marlys Alger, the board secretary, misclassified employees as independent contractors, breached the terms of her settlement agreement and retaliated against her for her earlier reports and complaints.”
Puckett further alleged that Vander Kamp and Alger breached their settlement agreement with her by showing up to witness Puckett and her nine family members retrieving her personal belongings from the nonprofit’s office. According to Puckett, only one person from the nonprofit was supposed to be present.
Additionally in her complaint Puckett wrote: “I was especially afraid of Sgt. Vander[ ]Kamp and what else he would do to me considering his authority and power as a law enforcement officer.”
SECOND COMPLAINT
Puckett filed a second complaint with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) on December 6, 2023. This complaint was in response to events occurring on the day in which Puckett and her family went to retrieve her belongings from the CLEAR Alliance offices.
According to Puckett, Vander Kamp allegedly told her she couldn’t retrieve her belongings from the nonprofit’s basement. She would write: “Sgt. Vander[ ]Kamp then stood by the basement door and threatened to call the police on us if we went into the basement,”
Puckett stated that as things began to “verbally escalate,” she and her family feared things might become physical. Her father, a retired state police trooper, told Vander Kamp he “took care of” calling the Prineville Police Department to the office.
A Prineville officer responded to the scene but left shortly thereafter after determining the situation was a civil rather than a criminal matter.
According to the Bulletin, Puckett’s DPSST complaint was referred to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in January 2024 — a month after it was filed.
In an email Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sergeant Jason Wall sent to Ms. Kaminski, he wrote the agency was still reviewing the complaint against Vander Kamp and considered it an open case.
This is a little surprising to us given that almost four months have passed since the case was referred to the agency.
VANDER KAMP’S RESPONSE
Vander Kamp sent the Bend Bulletin an email statement on behalf of the nonprofit’s board and staff in which he wrote:
“CLEAR is committed to providing a safe, discriminatory-free workplace and operating responsibly and ethically. CLEAR cannot presently comment on any open investigations but is fully cooperative and looks forward to closing this matter very soon”
Vander Kamp also told the Bulletin Puckett’s complaints against him were just two of many from, “A former disgruntled employee…We parted ways with her, and since then I’ve been the targets of her complaints.”
SUMMARY
We have written extensively about the ongoing culture of bullying, intimidation and retaliation that is so pervasive at the Sheriff’s Office. It is a culture cultivated and practiced by those at the very highest levels of the agency’s leadership.
Over the past number of months, we believe we have provided readers with significant, compelling and irrefutable evidence of this behavior.
Thus if the allegations of retaliation, among others, leveled by Ms. Puckett against Sergeant Vander Kamp are true, then he is unfortunately not much different from the current Sheriff’s Office leadership and has himself apparently become poisoned by the pervading leadership culture at the Sheriff’s Office.
We note that Vander Kamp’s response to the Bulletin was for the most part made in his capacity as CLEAR Alliance board president. It was a response that could have been, and perhaps was, crafted by an attorney.
Given the ongoing circumstances with Ms. Puckett, we can understand how such a response may be appropriate and correct from the perspective of the CLEAR Alliance’s board and board president.
That said, we want to hear not from the CLEAR Alliance board president, but from Sheriff’s Candidate Kent Vander Kamp.
Perhaps Ms. Puckett’s allegations were, as Vander Kamp states, made by a disgruntled employee. Perhaps they are completely without merit or substance. However, we must equally consider that Ms. Puckett’s allegations may be justified and valid.
We believe Sergeant Vander Kamp has an opportunity to clearly differentiate himself from the current crop of leaders at the Sheriff’s Office by showing himself to be upfront, transparent and honest — Something which the Sheriff’s Office leadership has thus far, and in our opinion, shown themselves to be incapable of doing.
To achieve this, Vander Kamp must be fully forthcoming by both disclosing and explaining exactly what happened among himself, the CLEAR Alliance Board, and Ms. Puckett. No obfuscation, no misdirection and no mistruths.
Should he do so, Vander Kamp would clearly set himself apart from the Sheriff’s Office leadership. On the other if he fails to do so, it would show him to be no different from them and the voters of Deschutes County would be left with a single choice this coming November: More of the same.
In closing we remind folks that at DCSO Follies we have a simple mission: To expose and hold to account Sheriff’s Office leadership for unethical behavior, fiscal recklessness, poor management and outright incompetence. We don’t care who we have to confront in the process — Be it the Sheriff, his leadership, or those running for Sheriff.
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