PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office has finished its investigation into two employees whose department-issued handguns were stolen from their home over the summer.
Sheriff Bill Benedict said Sgt. John Hollis and Corrections Deputy Elizabeth Hollis would each receive a letter of reprimand and that John Hollis would forfeit a day of pay after violating policy that says department-issued guns must be secure.
The Sheriff’s Office is also revising its policy to make it more clear as to what it means for firearms to be secure, Benedict said.
He said under the department’s policy, it was Undersheriff Ron Cameron who made the decision.
“We all make mistakes sometimes,” Cameron said. “We have two really fine employees and I mean that. That’s what made it tough.”
Cameron said both employees were upset about what had happened and understood the liability of having department-issued guns in the wrong hands.
“They were both pretty understanding,” Cameron said. “I think we’re pretty well done with it at our level.”
The policy states that employees shall “ensure that all firearms and ammunition are locked and secured while in their homes, vehicles or any other area under their control, and in a manner that will keep them inaccessible to children and others who should not have access. Members shall not permit department-issued firearms to be handled by anyone not authorized by the Department to do so.”
Deputies recovered the two stolen Glock 22 .40 caliber pistols while investigating unrelated cases. The first was recovered during an Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team raid on a suspected drug house on North Larch Avenue east of Port Angeles in July and the second was recovered in September after a stolen vehicle was returned to its owner.
The two department-issued pistols were stolen from the employees’ home on June 29. Also stolen were a Ruger 1911-style .45 caliber pistol and an antique Walther PPK .380 caliber pistol.
“The punishment was mitigated by the fact that through good police work we recovered the guns,” Benedict said, adding the discipline may have been different if the guns had been used in a crime. “This puts it to bed.”
Benedict said he wants to review the policy to make it more clear as to what it means for guns to be secured.
“Our policy is in the process of being made more specific because it just required the guns be secured,” Benedict said. “What does that mean?”
The criminal case related to the thefts is being investigated by the Port Angeles Police Department because the burglary happened within city limits.
Deputy Chief Jason Viada said the case remains active and open. No arrests have been made.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
