Sheriff: I'll be cleared in Goldschmidt case
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto says he is confident he'll be cleared of allegations he lied to the public about when he knew that former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt had sexually abused a teenage girl.
Giusto has reviewed a 303-page draft report from investigators at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, according to his spokesman, Lt. Bruce McCain.
On Friday, the standards agency, which oversees police certification, granted Giusto an extra three weeks to respond in writing to evidence that he may have lied on three occasions, most notably about what he knew about Goldschmidt.
McCain said the sheriff had a "mixed reaction" to the postponement, recognizing it could extend the cloud of suspicion he has been operating under.
"He is taking it seriously," McCain said of the investigation. But he said Giusto "still feels he will be exonerated."
A sweeping citizen complaint filed in April triggered the investigation. The police standards agency will determine whether Giusto's behavior fell short of the requirements for maintaining his state certification.
One of the key allegations came in a letter to the standards board from former Goldschmidt speechwriter Fred Leonhardt, who repeated his claim that it was Giusto who first told him that Goldschmidt had sexually abused a teenage girl while Goldschmidt was mayor of Portland in the 1970s.
Leonhardt has also said he later shared the information with Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Both Giusto and Kulongoski have denied knowing about the abuse, which was made public in 2004.
If any of the allegations are sustained, Giusto could lose his police badge. But it is unclear whether that could also cost him his job.
In a related matter, Portland radio talk show host Lars Larson has filed a complaint with the Oregon State Bar asking it to investigate when Kulongoski knew about the abuse.
The police standards agency's policy committee had been scheduled to discuss Giusto's case Nov. 13, but that meeting has now been reset for Feb. 12.
Under the agency's process, the committee first recommends whether Giusto should keep his police certification. The full Board on Public Safety Standards and Training then takes up the matter, and the board's decision can be appealed to an administrative law judge.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Giusto has reviewed a 303-page draft report from investigators at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, according to his spokesman, Lt. Bruce McCain.
On Friday, the standards agency, which oversees police certification, granted Giusto an extra three weeks to respond in writing to evidence that he may have lied on three occasions, most notably about what he knew about Goldschmidt.
McCain said the sheriff had a "mixed reaction" to the postponement, recognizing it could extend the cloud of suspicion he has been operating under.
"He is taking it seriously," McCain said of the investigation. But he said Giusto "still feels he will be exonerated."
A sweeping citizen complaint filed in April triggered the investigation. The police standards agency will determine whether Giusto's behavior fell short of the requirements for maintaining his state certification.
One of the key allegations came in a letter to the standards board from former Goldschmidt speechwriter Fred Leonhardt, who repeated his claim that it was Giusto who first told him that Goldschmidt had sexually abused a teenage girl while Goldschmidt was mayor of Portland in the 1970s.
Leonhardt has also said he later shared the information with Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Both Giusto and Kulongoski have denied knowing about the abuse, which was made public in 2004.
If any of the allegations are sustained, Giusto could lose his police badge. But it is unclear whether that could also cost him his job.
In a related matter, Portland radio talk show host Lars Larson has filed a complaint with the Oregon State Bar asking it to investigate when Kulongoski knew about the abuse.
The police standards agency's policy committee had been scheduled to discuss Giusto's case Nov. 13, but that meeting has now been reset for Feb. 12.
Under the agency's process, the committee first recommends whether Giusto should keep his police certification. The full Board on Public Safety Standards and Training then takes up the matter, and the board's decision can be appealed to an administrative law judge.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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