By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Lewis County sheriff’s deputy arrested for drunken driving two weeks ago quit today, rather than continue through the internal process that likely would have ended with him getting fired.
Sheriff Steve Mansfield said he was notified this morning Chris Fulton was resigning, effective today.
Fulton 31, was pulled over by a trooper on Jan. 4 just before 1 a.m. for speeding southbound on Interstate 5 through Centralia. He said he’d had a few drinks at the casino and thought he was okay to drive, but found himself in the back of a patrol car even before blowing a blood alcohol content reading of .172.
He was placed on paid administrative leave from his job. He has pleaded not guilty in Lewis County District Court.
Mansfield said the nearly six-year veteran of his office was a top performer and a valued employee, but drinking and driving among his employees is unacceptable and won’t be tolerated.
It was just four months earlier when another deputy was arrested for driving under the influence. Deputy Jeffrey S. Humphrey received some serious sanctions, but didn’t lose his job.
Mansfield said the internal review for Fulton was not yet finished, but in looking at the entire situation, the most likely outcome was going to be termination. And Fulton probably realized that, he said.
A significant difference in the two cases was how Fulton appeared to attempt to use his position as a deputy to influence the trooper who stopped him, according to Mansfield.
“If you look at the report, one of the things that stood out was his conversation with the trooper about who he was, there was an indication he was a police officer,” Mansfield said. “That’s substantially different from Humphrey’s case. Humphrey did not do that.”
Mansfield in a news release today attempted to share the philosophy behind the balance he tries to strike regarding his responsibilities to the public and to his employees.
“Your sheriff’s office is committed to serving the public and achieving our mission in a way that promotes trust, is responsible, respectful, fair and caring,” he wrote. “Employees who are unable or unwilling to uphold this commitment cannot work for the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.”
In an interview, he spoke of the high priority society has placed – and for good reasons – on keeping impaired drivers off the roads and the procedures he has in place for getting assistance for substance abuse issues to employees who might need it.
Mansfield has admitted from the beginning what an embarrassing position he finds himself in.
“It is what it is,” he said. “It’s sad and tragic for a number of reasons. We’re going to work real hard to make sure the public doesn’t lose trust with us in doing our job.”
There is very high bar for a deputy to be able to continue working for him should they get arrested for something like this, according to Mansfield.
In Humphrey’s case, the sheriff imposed a two-week unpaid suspension, demoted the deputy and tied his continued employment to the conditions imposed by the court.
“A DUI is huge,” Mansfield said. “But if someone is hurt, or you try to use your influence, that’s basically a nail in the coffin.”
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For background, read “Report: Off-duty deputy seemed to want favorable treatment during DUI stop” from Wednesday January 8, 2014, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I wonder where this drunk cop is working today?
So when one takes a look at the DUI arrests of both deputies from the Lewis Sheriff’s Office one has to ask themselves what goes on within the agency that makes such conduct pervasive. Because, let’s face it; it is. Two deputies within four months are not just two isolated incidents. They are a symptom. Every organization has its own culture. Large or small, law enforcement agency, trucking company or grocery store, there is a culture or a model of behavior that occurs within an organization and that culture is driven from the top.
Management influences how the troops do business. Especially in paramilitary organizations like law enforcement agencies. Middle managers, the lieutenants and sergeants, implement policies and orders handed down from on high and since they are in direct contact with the line officers, they have the greatest influence on their behavior. They also have the best opportunity to intervene when things start going south. If the culture of the agency is that everyone goes out drinking after a shift, then that becomes the accepted behavior. If the leadership models that behavior you have a problem, in that the subordinate officers now see the behavior as tolerated, even acceptable to the leadership, so they do not fear any repercussions.
It has long been the practice with in the sheriff’s office, especially in the days of UNET for officers to end their work day with a visit to a local watering hole, I would see them almost daily at the Star Tavern, like clockwork. It is not uncommon to see off-duty deputies at Frosty’s in Napavine or other establishments in the county. Does anyone really think that Deputy Humpheries drinking problem wasn’t obvious to his supervisors. Of course it was. I would bet they drank together, often. I’m sure the same can be said for Deputy Fulton. If I were to venture a guess I would say their arrests were not the first time they drove drunk…that month or that week.
Interestingly enough, you seldom see officers from other agencies doing the same nor do you hear of other officers being stopped or arrested for DUI. Why is that?
I called the Centralia Police and they said they have 31 police officers, yet in the 15 years I’ve lived in Lewis County, I’ve never heard of one of their officers being arrested for DUI. Or Chehalis, or Napavine or Winlock.
When I inquired of my neighbor about the sheriff’s office I was interested to learn that nearly as far back as he could remember (40 years), the sheriff was always selected or elected from within the current members of the sheriff’s office. Does that strike anyone else as odd? If you have an organization that has functioned with it’s leadership constantly being groomed from within that is like an incestuous family. No new blood eventually leads to a deceased organism. A dysfunctional mutation.
The only person who has announced their candidacy for Sheriff is a current supervisor on the sheriff’s office. In fact he was Deputy Humpheries’ supervisor. If he didn’t know there was a problem, he should have known. Not that Humpheries doesn’t own responsibility for his actions, but his supervisors are responsible to him, the office and the citizens and if possible spare them all from the consequences of ignoring the problem.
Maybe it’s time the new Sheriff comes from outside the department. There has got to be a qualified Law Enforcement professional in the county to challenge the status quo and clean up this romper room. Please!
If he learned his lesson, why not go back into public service? One mistake per lifetime to be a cop?
Even The President gets more breaks than that!
Unfortunately this Deputy will probably get hired onto another Department because he will pass a background check. That is why he resignsed before he went to court. If the prosecutor has any talent he will continue to prosecute this guy so he doesn’t get another position of power
it is so easy to see the people comment who have been arrested and think it was done unfairly. Their heads only come of the sand when they get a chance to take a pot shot…Idiots.
I am sure Mansfield wishes he had the all mighty power some people seem to think he has, would be less stress for him. He does not have the power to fire as he sees fit. He has very clear guidelines he has to follow. They are union employees. If he fires out of personal power and does not go through protocol…it costs our county more in legal suits & damages awarded. He can recommend firing till blue in the face, but the choice is not his to make without exhausting all other options he isandated to per case basis. Checks & balances govern the outcome and his level of power. Some people clearly watch way too much tv.
Thank goodness he didn’t kill anyone while he was driving drunk. Cops should set examples for the community, and if there’s any silver lining in this, it’s the police officer who pulled him over. Now she has integrity.
I forgot to mention the Patti Prouty scandal. 2 Deputies under his watch were also involved in that ordeal. He chose to keep 1, (Riodon), and fire the other. This Mansfield is a Schizoid.
And to all those cop haters who kept saying how the deputy would get just a “slap on the wrist”, once again you are proven wrong. The rule of law does apply to Lewis County Deputies.
I can’t help but feel regret that someone’s bad decision may have ended an otherwise promising career. In what ever field he chooses to serve, I wish him the very best. He admitted his mistake to the Sheriff and has decided to move on as a citizen. I’m sure the Cop haters here will find something to gripe over, but I see none. All in all, it looks like he’s on the right track to make right what he did wrong and start out fresh.
Good Luck Mr. Fulton.
Apparently our “so called Sherriff ” has a double standard. He expects his deputies to be held to a higher standard than he was held to (just a few years ago) when he himself committed a crime and covered it up. Then he fired the deputy that brought it to the media’s attention.
Yes, his deputies need to be held accountable, but he has NO RIGHT criticizing any actions of his deputies. I have a much better respect for the deputies who took responsibility for their actions accepted the consequences of those actions. Mansfield is a criminal and a hypocrite. As a life time resident of Lewis County I am embarrassed that he is the leader of our Sherriff’s Office. He should have been held accountable and should have faced criminal charges.
I CAN’T BELEIVE THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTY RE-ELECTED HIM.