Complaint Alleges Sheriff Candidate Ty Rupert Broke Campaign Law: Updated

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 in La Pine in November. He filed his campaign paperwork on Dec. 15, a month after telling the public he intended to run for position in a November sit-down interview with the Source.

The Source reviewed a copy of the complaint that alleges that Sheriff Rupert used public resources and public personnel for campaign purposes, in violation of state laws pertaining to elections and government ethics.

The complaint mentions an instance in which Rupert admitted to media that a public campaign memo was sent through DCSO public information office’s email account. The PIO, as the complaint notes, is a publicly funded government unit staffed by public employees, “acting in official capacities, using public facilities, public communication infrastructure, and public time.” Disseminating messaging connected to Rupert’s candidacy, the complaint continues, “constitutes use of public personnel, use of public resources, and use of official governmental authority and infrastructure for the purpose of influencing an election.”

In response to questions from the Source, Rupert denied that DCSO spokesperson Jason Carr is involved in his campaign for sheriff.

“Jason has not participated in my campaign in any capacity, at any time, whether during or outside of work hours,” Rupert stated. “Wherever this claim originated, it is not based in fact. The public information office operates solely in support of DCSO matters and, aside from the previously acknowledged statement, does not take part in campaign or election activities.”

Oregon statute allows an elected official — and, notably, one appointed to an elective position, such as interim sheriff — to engage in political activity during work time. That seems to clear Rupert to campaign at town halls while in uniform, using DCSO promotional materials and using a county vehicle for transportation.

Yet it’s unclear whether the promotion of these town halls by the DSCO Facebook account, for example, maintained by Carr, a public employee, would violate campaign law. The Source reviewed the DSCO Facebook account posts, which promoted each of the six town hall stops, including La Pine, Sunriver, Terrebonne, Sisters, Redmond and Bend.

The only sheriff candidate running against Rupert is DCSO Detective Lt. James “Mac” McLaughlin.

Deschutes County interim Sheriff Ty Rupert during a visit to the Source office in November 2025. Credit: Peter Madsen

County voters will decide the permanent sheriff in the general election on Nov. 3. The winner will serve as sheriff through 2028, the remainder of the term previously occupied by Kent van der Kamp, who resigned in July after the district attorney’s office placed him on its Brady List for dishonestly, the Source reported.

Susan Myers, the executive director of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, acknowledged receiving a complaint. Yet, since the complaint is in a preliminary review phase, it’s confidential. The office may not make any comment, nor confirm its contents nor the date of its receipt, according to state law, Myers said.

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Detective Lt. and sheriff candidate, James “Mac” McLaughlin, says he trusts the state ethics commission to conduct a fair investigation into a complaint against opponent Ty Rupert. Credit: James McLaughlin

Reached for comment, McLaughlin sent a statement to the Source saying he trusts OGEC “to do their job and review the facts.

“My focus isn’t on managing my opponent’s campaign or his use of county resources,” McLaughlin added. “My focus is on talking directly with the voters about the future of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and how we bring transparency, accountability and honor back to the agency.”

Early inklings of these potential issues arose in reporting by Central Oregon media outlets. In February, Sheriff Rupert released a statement through the DCSO public information office in relation to McLaughlin filing campaign paperwork, The Bulletin reported. Later, Rupert told OPB that using the PIO communication channel was “a mistake,” saying that he wrote the release himself and as a first-time candidate he is still learning the process, adding that he “didn’t think about it at the time and it won’t happen again.”

In his June 11 statement to the Source, Rupert reiterated that public acknowledgement.

“I didn’t realize that having our PIO send that statement to the media would constitute a perceived violation. I have since committed to making sure it would not happen again,” Rupert told the Source.

Additionally, the complaint cites reporting by KTVZ on Jan. 6 at the Sunriver town hall that indirectly quoted Rupert: “He said the town hall series is as much about listening as campaigning, helping him understand what residents want from the next permanent sheriff.”

Past sheriff candidates have run similarly afoul of campaign rules.

In 2016, a DCSO internal investigation found that then-Deputy Eric Kozowski, a challenger to Sheriff Shane Nelson in the race for sheriff, broke election rules by campaigning in uniform, according to Central Oregon Daily News.

Rupert, who was sworn in by DCSO in 2005, was promoted by Nelson to lieutenant in April 2016, according to state police records. McLaughlin was sworn in as a deputy in October 2008, promoted to sergeant by Sheriff Nelson in November 2019 and to lieutenant by Sheriff van der Kamp in February 2025, according to state records.

On June 6, Det. Lt. McLaughlin announced he’d been placed on paid administrative leave by Rupert, the Source reported. A third-party investigator is looking into misconduct allegations made by two citizens regarding the same incident. In a statement, McLaughlin called the investigation retaliatory and “political theater.”

DCSO spokesperson Jason Carr previously declined to comment on when Rupert would select the third-party investigator, who it would be, and when its investigation might conclude, citing the case being an open one into personnel.