Thurston County Sheriff fires another employee for sexual harassment

The Thurston County Sheriff has fired a corrections deputy for sexual harassment, the department announced Monday afternoon.

This marks the second time since the end of August that the Sheriff has taken such action. A civilian employee was fired Aug. 31 after an internal investigation uncovered years of sexual harassment toward more than one coworker, The Olympian reported.

As for Monday’s termination, it followed an investigation that was launched on Aug. 4 after the Sheriff’s Office received an internal complaint about sexual harassment in the corrections facility.

The investigation found substantial evidence of sexual harassment, and reports that the behavior was a longstanding issue dating back to at least 2022, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

After the corrections deputy was fired, a notice of separation form was completed and sent to the Criminal Training Justice Center for review of the former employee’s certification status in the state, according to the news release.

The Sheriff’s Office is now set to embark on sexual harassment training this fall after a recent funding request for that training was approved by the Thurston County Commission, per the release.

“Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is committed to the elimination, prevention and thorough investigation of sexual harassment to ensure our workplace is safe and inclusive for all,” the news release reads.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office civilian employee fired for sexual harassment