JACKSON, Calif. — An Amador County Sheriff candidate, and current sergeant, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by an outside agency, the Amador County Sheriff's Office says.
According to Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe, the sheriff's office asked the district attorney's office to conduct an investigation into Sergeant Ryan Gillaspie due to "potentially criminal misconduct," according to a statement released by Riebe.
Neither the sheriff's office nor the district attorney's office would describe the nature of the allegations or the investigation and both offices declined requests for an interview Friday.
The incident under investigation allegedly happened on May 2 and an Amador County resident called the sheriff's office to report it on May 25, according to a press release issued by the Amador County Sheriff's Office.
Sergeant Ryan Gillaspie, running against incumbent Sheriff Garry Redman and candidate Patrick Weart, also released a statement Friday detailing information that he says is the basis of the investigation.
"The incident involved an accidental discharge of a taser device during a goodwill demonstration to youth with a curiosity in law enforcement," the statement says. "Shortly after the incident, and on multiple occasions since then, both the youth and the family have stated, to multiple adults familiar with the incident, that there was no injury and indeed, no concerns."
Gillaspie was placed on leave on May 30. In their statement, the sheriff's office said that the administrative leave is not disciplinary and will not be viewed as adverse to Gillaspie's record.
"This investigation is in no way politically motivated, but rather required consistent with our policies and procedures," the statement says. "Based upon the severity of the allegations, and the preliminary evidence available, the decision was made to place Sergeant Gillaspie on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation."
The investigation is now in the hands of the California Attorney General's Office, District Attorney Riebe says.
"I have publicly endorsed Sheriff Gary Redman in the upcoming election. Many employees from my office publicly or privately support one of the three candidates for Amador Sheriff," Riebe said in a statement. "In order for the public to have confidence in the outcome, I contacted an outside criminal justice agency to conduct the investigation and forward their report to me when completed."
Riebe says the California Attorney General's Office will handle the case to completion if they determine a conflict of interest exists.
On Tuesday, voters in Amador County will cast ballots in the race for County Sheriff. The top two candidates will advance to the General Election in November unless a candidate is elected to the position Tuesday by getting more than 50% of the votes.
