SALEM, Ore. - Marion County Sheriff Russ Isham attempted to hide an affair after a sergeant discovered him with a woman in the back seat of a car, according to interviews released by the Oregon Department of Justice.
The interviews with the Department of Justice help further explain what happened in the lead up to Isham's surprise announcement on Wednesday that he would resign his position Monday and leave Oregon law enforcement.
While on patrol in early August, Sgt. Jeff Wheeler told investigators that he found an SUV parked near a cemetery in a place he knew attracted abandoned stolen cars and couples.
When he approached the car, he found Isham, his boss, with his pants unzipped, and a woman covering herself in the back seat, according to the documents.
Wheeler said he and Isham met later and Isham asked him to keep what he'd seen to himself and hinted at a promotion.
"He kept wanting assurance that I wasn't going to say anything," Wheeler told investigators. "(Isham) said, 'you know there is the department, I have some long-term goals for this department, and you are part of those long-term goals.' "
After the incident, Wheeler talked to a number of law enforcement agencies and met with Cmdr. Troy Clausen and Lt. Doug Garrett of the sheriff's department to discuss what to do. Eventually, the office called in the Department of Justice.
