NEWSPAPER ARTICLE CITED

Devlin: Politics Prevents

Fair County Investigation

He Asks For NY Commission of Correction Review

COOPERSTOWN – In light of an article in today’s editions of The Freeman’s Journal and Hometown Oneonta, Sheriff Richard J. Devlin Jr. has issued a statement “questioning the integrity” of the county Board of Representatives’  investigation of his department “since a political motive has now emerged.”

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TO NEWSPAPER STORY

If the county board has any evidence of wrongdoing in his department, it should provide it to him so he can ask the state Commission of Correction to investigate it, the sheriff said.

Devlin cited the article headlined, “Clark’s Husband Sheriff Prospect?” which reported county Democratic chair Richard Abbate has been sounded out twice on whether his party would cross-endorse Bob Fernandez, a retired state trooper and county board Chair Kathy Clark’s husband, if he were to run for county sheriff in 2018.

The sheriff, in a statement, said that, in light of the revelations, he does not believe he can get a fair investigation at the county level.  The county board’s Public Safety & Legal Affairs Committee is now investigating a “workplace violence” complaint involving the sheriff’s son, Sgt. Ros Devlin, to determine if resulting disciplinary actions were consistent.