Peter Madsen

Internal memos shed new light on the numerous instances of alleged misconduct by a candidate for Deschutes County Sheriff and two other department employees. The instances are related to events surrounding the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office SWAT apprehension of Paul Akehurst in Sunriver on Feb. 25. On June 6, Det. Lt. James “Mac” McLaughlin announced […]

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most hot-button topics of our time. For some technology optimists, AI will be a crucial piece of a near-future resembling that of The Jetsons — our daily mundanity is outsourced to helpful robots who wear cute aprons and anticipate our every need. For pessimists, that future horizon is a […]

On Feb 25, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Lt. James “Mac” McLaughlin stood outside a home in Sunriver. The DCSO SWAT commander, McLaughlin was leading a team in delivering an arrest warrant to Paul Akehurst, who was wanted for allegedly making $700 in purchases with a stolen gasoline card he’d bought and eluding officers several times […]

A complaint filed with the state ethics body alleges Deschutes County Sheriff candidate Ty Rupert misused county resources while campaigning for the top law-enforcement position in the County. Rupert, who was appointed interim sheriff by the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners in July, embarked on a series of town halls throughout Deschutes County, beginning […]

“Did you call the sheriff’s office on me?”  The public had just been let into the Alfalfa Fire District special meeting on May 22 when Justin Alderman, the co-founder and managing editor of the Prineville Review, fired off questions. They came rat-a-tat-style at AFD board member Mark Laucks.  “Mr. Laucks, is it true you contacted the sheriff?”  Laucks shuffled freshly printed meeting agendas to pass out to the […]

James “Mac” McLaughlin outed himself as one of three Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office employees Interim Sheriff Ty Rupert placed on paid administrative on June 5, stemming from allegations of misconduct. He calls it “political theatre.” A DCSO Lieutenant and the SWAT commander, McLaughlin published a social media post on the subsequent evening of June 6, […]

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has placed three employees on paid administrative, stemming from allegations of misconduct, as of June 5. According to a press release similar to the email Interim Sheriff Ty Rupert sent to DCSO staffers earlier in the day, the allegations stem from two formal citizen complaints related to the same incident. […]

Deschutes County commissioners unanimously granted the Sheriff’s Office a $2.4-million, five-year contract with Axon, a surveillance technology company, on June 3. The inventory will include 100 in-vehicle cameras, 105 body cameras and 90 smart tasers. But not included in the department’s wish list for surveillance tech is automated license plate reader capabilities, owing to public […]

The trademark dispute between drag queen Pattie Gonia and outdoor brand Patagonia has reached a boiling point in recent days, with the clothing giant’s CEO and Pattie swapping video statements since the most-recent reporting by the Source on May 28. In a widely shared video last week, Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert said the company has […]