2 Pierce County sheriff’s drug unit personnel disciplined after internal investigation
Two former members of an embattled Pierce County sheriff’s drug unit were disciplined after an internal investigation shut down the team for more than a year, newly released records show.
The Special Investigation Unit was disbanded in April 2020 after deputies and prosecutors raised concerns about whether members wrote fake police reports to protect an informant and possibly conducted improper searches, among other department violations.
An investigation completed by Kitsap County found 45 possible policy violations. A review done by Clark County sustained seven violations, none of them major, and blamed the hullabaloo on communication problems and a broken relationship with the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office.
None of the violations sustained by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department were connected to writing false police reports.
Sgt. Chris Adamson, Sgt. Tommie Nicodemus and deputy Ryan Olivarez were not found to have violated any policies or procedures.
Lt. Cynthia Fajardo, who was in charge of the unit, was found to have unsatisfactory job performance. Detective Shaun Darby was also found to have unsatisfactory job performance, as well as insubordination and violating a policy regarding confidential informants.
Written reprimands were placed in their personnel files.
“On the SIU investigation, Clark County cited minor violations,” Fajardo said. “The Sheriff, however, issued written reprimands, which is considered formal discipline atypical for minor violations that are currently under appeal.”
Sheriff Ed Troyer and Undersheriff Brent Bomkamp declined to comment because of pending litigation.
In July, nine SIU members filed a lawsuit against former Sheriff Paul Pastor, Bomkamp and deputy prosecutors James Schacht and Fred Wist alleging that the unit was targeted in an effort to influence the November election when Fajardo was running against Troyer to be sheriff.
The unit was disbanded in April. Fajardo announced her candidacy in May.
The 135-page suit said unit members were given “undesirable work,” harassed at work and that department officials refused to close the investigation, which left “the taint of the possibility of wrongdoing findings in the future against plaintiffs.”
A sheriff’s spokesman said this week the investigation is closed.
The investigation into Darby ended April 27 and the investigation into Fajardo ended June 29, department records say.
Fajardo is appealing the finding that she had unsatisfactory job performance. Darby accepted the written reprimand and sent Troyer a letter explaining the violations that were sustained.
The Special Investigation Unit returned to work in July focusing on community issues rather than just drug investigations. Narcotics cases dropped 69 percent while the unit was disbanded.
Fajardo was assigned to the Foothills and Mountain detachment, and Darby was sent to the robbery/assault/gang unit.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 1:06 PM.
