WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Deputy with sexual harassment history arrested for rape
Jessie Stensland reports:
A deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office with a history of sexual harassment was arrested Oct. 13 for allegedly raping two people while he was off duty...
With the election so close, the arrest almost instantly became a campaign issue in the race for Island County sheriff. Deputy Lane Campbell, who’s running against Sheriff Rick Felici, had already been criticizing Felici for his handling of allegations against Nieder and the arrest has raised the temperature of online discussions.
They Said It
Campbell said he was the guild president at the time [in 2014 when Nieder was fired after accusations of sexual harassment by a female fellow detective]. He explained that the guild’s attorney advised him that the investigation wasn’t done well and that Nieder would probably get his job back if he appealed. If the guild didn’t support him, Nieder could sue if he prevailed with his own representation, Campbell said. As a result, the executive board members reluctantly agreed to back the appeal, although they “absolutely did not support” Nieder, Campbell said.
In addition, Campbell said the guild hadn’t been told all of the details of Nieder’s behavior prior to arbitration. He said he sat through all the hearings and was shocked by the allegations.
“I shook my head and thought, ‘There is no way he is getting his job back,’” Campbell said, adding that other deputies were also convinced that the termination would be sustained...
Campbell said he spoke to [Deputy Mike] Adrian [who accused Neider of inappropriately touching him and filed suit against the county] and has no reason to doubt him. He said the investigation should have been done by an outside entity, like the state patrol, given Nieder’s history.
“It’s leadership trying to keep dirt in-house,” Campbell said.
Felici has said there was no evidence to sustain any of Adrian’s allegations. Nonetheless, the county settled with Adrian in September on the condition that he leave the department. Felici denied any wrongdoing and said it was cheaper to settle than go to trial.
“I stand by all my decisions,” Felici said.
[Ed. Note: The Whidbey News-Times published a story about the settling of Adrian’s lawsuit on Sep. 20, 2022.]
