The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office announced that deputy Kyle Pettit is on administrative leave pending an internal investigation and a criminal investigation being conducted by the Oregon State Police. DCSO sent the release on Aug. 7, but Pettit has been suspended since April 20.
DCSO spokesperson Jason Wall said the sheriff’s office is investigating whether any DCSO policies were violated by Pettit, and the OSP will determine if Pettit broke any laws. The investigation is unrelated to Pettit’s prior disciplinary troubles, which The Bulletin reported last month.
In that case, Pettit allegedly violated six policies while out drinking at South Side Pub in June 2022. After a bartender refused to serve him more alcohol, Pettit flashed his DCSO identification and said he was on-duty in order to buy more drinks, a report said. A cook later observed Pettit urinating on an electrical box outside South Side Pub. In response, DCSO suspended Pettit without pay for one day and reassigned him from a detective position to the patrol division. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Employee’s Association, the union representing DCSO employees, didn’t protest the disciplinary action.
Further information on the outcome of the current investigation into Pettit will be released by the OSP and Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office. DCSO said it will determine any disciplinary or personnel actions after the investigation is concluded.
This article appears in Source Weekly August 10, 2023.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
