Former Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Captain William Bailey will receive a neutral re-evaluation of his March 2 termination, the Board of County Commissioners voted April 22.
While Commissioners Phil Chang, Tony DeBone and Patti Adair had the option to postpone the decision to a later date, they unanimously voted yes to Bailey’s request for a do-over that will decide whether he’s reinstated as a Captain, with back pay, along with other considerations.
[Read this week’s cover story, “Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Payouts near $5 Million,” for context.]
That process won’t happen immediately, however, pointed out County attorney David Doyle, who presented the matter to the board, along with the staff recommendation that the BOCC direct the matter to advisory arbitration before a future board hearing.
Several dozen members of the public, along with Bailey supporters, sat in attendance. Bailey, along with attorney Erik Gunderson, stood in the back. Also standing alongside was Larry Muddtoe Baker, the La Pine radio DJ who’d invited Bailey onto his program to speak about the news reports of lying and retaliation that were swirling around then-Sheriff Kent van der Kamp on June 20, 2025. Bailey’s statements ultimately led to his termination.
Before the arbitration process begins, both the County and Bailey will have to agree on the independent investigator. Then, they’ll have to align their calendars for proceedings, which may take several more weeks to figure out.
All told, Doyle explained that may take three to six months.
Sunriver resident Renee Shadley, a longtime friend and supporter of Bailey’s, called out from her seat: “So will this be decided before the election? After everything you guys put Bill through, we want to make sure we vote the right people in there. Why wait?”
Some in the crowd murmured accordingly.
The Oregon 2026 Primary Election will happen on May 19; the General Election, on Nov. 3. Two of the BOCC members, DeBone and Adair, are running for office. DeBone, to keep Position #1 and Adair in the Republican primary for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District.
“We take fair, due process very seriously,” Chang said from the dais.
Doyle confirmed that the BOCC will act as a quasi-judicial body that will decide whether to adopt findings of the independent investigation. That means while they’re not wearing black robes, the BOCC members will need to sequester themselves from public input. Chang acknowledged receiving numerous emails in support of Bailey, sent by the public, but said he and the commissioners will not consider them in their decision-making process; the facts and policies that will guide their reasoning will be relegated to this new report.
That arbitration process will likely be closed to the public, yet the process may be made public if both Bailey and the third-party arbitrator agree to make it so, which would be rare, Doyle said.
After the hearing, which lasted a little more than 30 minutes, Gunderson, Bailey’s employment attorney, held a brief press conference in the service building’s lobby.
“I wish we had been able to speak to the Commissioners today,” Gunderson said. “They decided to do what they did. As a practical matter, we don’t have much choice but to go along. I remain unclear what process brought us to this point. I remain unclear of the legal rationale that brought this matter before the County, instead of in front of the sheriff, is.
“If the Commissioners had taken some time to hear from us today, I would have told them to remember that everything that Bill Bailey said [in his complaint] is of profound public interest. The fact that I am talking to so many people of the media right now is evidence of that. I would have reminded them that everything Bill Bailey said is true. Where’s the lie in anything that Bill Bailey said. I don’t think man is not a liar… they would have heard me say that this man, who served for 24 years of dedicated public service, deserves to be reinstated.”
Additionally, Gunderson said the BOCC have “dramatically underestimated the scope of Bailey’s free speech rights” in speaking openly about DCSO information that had already been published by numerous local news outlets leading up to that June 20 radio appearance.
Three days after Bailey’s comments, Van der Kamp announced his July 31 resignation, the Source reported.
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