Sunriver Police Chief Marc Mills has been charged with the misdemeanor crime of harassment by Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel.
The charge comes after Hummel reviewed an investigation led by Oregon's Department of Justice.
According to a release from Hummel's office, Mills allegedly struck Sunriver Police Sgt. Joseph Patnode. Both Mills and Patnode were working at the police station at the time. Patnode maintains his employment with the Sunriver Police Department.
The altercation was reportedly witnessed by an administrative staff worker who reported the incident to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office.
Mills has been on paid administrative leave since Dec. 3. Bend Police Capt. Cory Darling has been filling in since that date.
Mills has been Sunriver’s police chief since 2012 and served nearly three decades with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office before that.
Mills will make his first court appearance on Jan. 25.