Curry County Sheriff John Ward has been removed from the board of the Oregon State Sheriff's Association after a report accused him of financial misconduct.
Justin Higginbottom / JPR
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against Curry County Sheriff John Ward, finding the claims largely fall outside the body’s four-year jurisdiction.
The decision closes the ethics complaint over allegations that Ward personally benefited from donations intended for his office. Most of the alleged conduct was too old for the commission to consider, while the panel found no evidence of more recent conflict-of-interest disclosure violations. Ward has denied wrongdoing.
Curry County legal counsel Ted Fitzgerald filed the complaint in July, alleging Ward used his public office for financial gain and accepted prohibited gifts.
The allegations center on nearly $400,000 in donations the John G. Atkins Foundation made to the sheriff’s office between 2009 and 2023. County officials say the nonprofit’s donations bypassed county approval and oversight.
A county-commissioned investigation by Ferraris Investigations & Consulting found that Ward used some of the money to build a storage building on his property intended for sheriff’s office use.
County officials said the building increased his home’s value. The investigation also examined a travel trailer purchased for the sheriff’s office and registered in Ward’s name.
Ward has said he pays the building’s electricity and insurance costs himself and has not used the trailer for personal purposes. He told the ethics commission the foundation asked him to register the trailer in his name because it did not trust the county.
The county report claims Ward “used deceit, dishonest and subversion including but not limited to donations of funds, equipment, vehicles and constructed buildings.”
The Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association banned Ward from its board following the findings.
Ward was not immediately available for comment. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Related: Oregon sheriffs cut ties with Curry County Sheriff John Ward
County commissioners have also accused Ward of improperly selling $10,000 worth of ammunition to officers and at least one community member.
Commissioners say the ammunition belonged to the county. Ward said it was obtained through a supplier’s deal and intended for deputies’ target practice.
Ward told ethics investigators that he answers to citizens rather than the county board and is his “own supervisor.”
Curry County Commissioner Jay Trost said the dismissal did not resolve the county’s concerns.
“It is clear that the ethics commission’s recommendation to dismiss is based on a statutory time limitation,” Trost said. “It is not a finding that the underlying conduct was proper.”
Trost said the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training continues to review the allegations. He said the matter remains under federal investigation.
The Oregon Department of Justice previously reviewed allegations county officials submitted against Ward and found none rose to the level of “prosecutable charges,” the Oregon Journalism Project reported.
Justin Higginbottom is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
