Ian Rollins For the Gazette-Times | Posted: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 10:00 pm
Benton County Sheriff's Sgt. Jack Burright announced this morning that he is withdrawing from the race for sheriff.
Burright, a 13-year member of the department, was running against Undersheriff Diana Simpson to succeed Sheriff Jim Swinyard.
He was placed on paid administrative leave in May amid investigations that he used a phony college degree on a job application, and that he exaggerated his educational background on his candidacy filing for sheriff.
The two-month administrative leave made it "impossible" for Burright to continue his candidacy, he said in a statement this morning.
Burright and his attorney, Kent Hickam of Albany, could not be reached for comment. Swinyard said he was surprised by Burright's decision.
"I guess I anticipated he wouldn't do that until the investigation by the Oregon State Police had been finalized, and there was a decision from the special prosecutor," Swinyard said.
Simpson said she will continue her campaign regardless. "I will push hard to assure the voters of Benton County that I am the best person for sheriff," she said.
Burright indicated on job applications, and on his candidacy filing, that he had completed the 12th grade at Corvallis High School when he actually dropped out his senior year. He got his general education diploma two years later.
In addition, Burright wrote that he had a pending associates degree in criminal justice from Linn-Benton Community College, although his coursework isn't complete and he hasn't been a student there since 1991.
Further, he purchased a degree in 2003 from Farington University, an unaccredited Internet diploma mill which sells four-year degrees based on "life experiences."
He put this degree on a 2004 application for lieutenant. He did not get that position.
"I am proud of the skills and abilities I have gained through my education and training, including LBCC, the academy in Monmouth and online courses," Burright said in his statement. "Nevertheless, I used poor judgment in failing to more fully investigate the online degree I obtained in 2003, which I hastily submitted to the county personnel department. For that, I apologize to Sheriff Swinyard and Undersheriff Simpson and to the citizens of Benton County."
Burright further said he hopes to continue working for the sheriff's office. "It is my principal goal, as I have always indicated during this campaign, to provide professional law enforcement services to Benton County under all circumstances," he wrote.
The Oregon State Police, Secretary of State's office and Department of Public Safety, Standards and Training are investigating whether he committed any criminal acts. The Washington County District Attorney's Office will decide whether to prosecute once the state police investigation is done.
Jeff Lesowski, a deputy district attorney in Washington County who is handling the case, said he is waiting on a few more items from the state police. He expects to make a decision about prosecution in the next few weeks.
The secretary of state's investigation is ongoing. Norma Buckno, compliance specialist, said it would be late July at the earliest before any findings are made. DPSST officials said they will wait for the state police investigation to conclude before taking any action.