The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a new undersheriff following last week’s termination of former undersheriff Todd Fosse.
Sheriff Scott Johnson said Monday he could not give details of Fosse’s termination, adding that he could not publicly discuss personnel matters. He did say the department’s undersheriff position is filled on an at-will basis, and those with the title can be released from the position at any time without cause.
Johnson also stressed that Fosse’s termination was not a result of criminal actions, and that the termination had no relation to the investigation of former deputy Vance Johnson. Vance Johnson was convicted last week of official misconduct and five counts of reckless endangerment after chasing a group of teenagers after one had egged his personal vehicle while he was off-duty in March 2014. He also demanded a reimbursement of $1,500 from parents of the teenagers.
“I certainly see how people see a nexus there with the timing of those two things happening at the same time,” the sheriff said about Vance Johnson’s trial and Fosse’s termination. “But there’s absolutely no connection between the two.”
Johnson added that he considered Fosse a “best friend,” and that terminating his employment with the county was “very difficult.”
“It’s been probably very hard on both of us,” he said. “But I had to do what was good for the best of the order.”
With the search for a new undersheriff in the preliminary stages, Johnson indicated that it could be difficult finding someone willing to work for a sheriff’s office whose resources remain limited.
“It’s difficult to recruit people away from other agencies,” he said, adding that lower-level deputies and sergeants in some jurisdictions throughout the state are paid more than Pacific County’s undersheriff. “We just don’t have really good pay.”
Johnson said he’s been looking both inside and outside the department for a replacement, but does not have anyone in mind at this point.
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