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Former Shasta County Sheriff Eric Magrini has taken a leave of absence from his job as an assistant executive officer, a county official confirmed.
Magrini, who resigned from his sheriff’s job in June 2021 to become assistant CEO, went on furlough 30 to 40 days ago, said Patrick Jones, chairman of the county board of supervisors.
Jones said he did not know why Magrini went on leave and did not know when or if he would resume his job with the county.
“We got a memo from our lawyer saying don’t speak to him,” Jones said, adding that the memo didn’t say why he wasn’t allowed to speak to Magrini. “It just said no contact with Eric Magrini.”
Jones said he knew no more about Magrini’s furlough than what was written in the memo. He said he hadn’t seen Magrini in at least a month, and the two didn’t cross paths often in the county council.
Magrini did not respond to a text and voicemail message. Emails sent to County Counsel James Ross and Acting County Executive Officer Mary Williams were also not confirmed.
David Maung, a county spokesman, said due to privacy concerns he could only say that Magrini still worked for the county.
Magrini was sworn in as sheriff in January 2020, after the Board of Supervisors appointed him to the post in December 2019, after Tom Bosenko retired that year.
A year later, however, the sheriff’s office was in turmoil. The Sheriff’s Administrative Association and the Deputy Sheriff’s Association had both approved votes of no confidence in Magrini.
The governing association, made up of the department’s captains and lieutenants, requested an investigation into complaints against the sheriff.
Background information on the claims, job promotion
The groups accused Magrini of poor communication and leadership, resulting in low morale throughout the department.
In March 2021, at the request of the governing body, the county hired the law firm Ellis & Makus to investigate the allegations. In April 2021, Pat Kropholler, who was then captain in the department and president of the board association, filed a whistleblower report with the county.
Kropholler made numerous allegations, including that Magrini illegally used an official statewide database to obtain incriminating information about former CEO Matt Pontes, who was at the time applying for the county executive position.
Kropholler also alleged in the whistleblower letter that Magrini, while sheriff, lied to the public about not coordinating with a local militia that was present during a Black Lives Matter protest in Redding in June 2020.
Dig deeper: Shasta County Whistleblower Alleged Wrongdoing by Former Sheriff: A Look at the Allegations and Context
Magrini’s alleged letter went so far as to send drone footage to militia members during the march, later collaborating with the county’s information technology department to thwart a public records request seeking his communications with the militia members.
But on June 10, 2021, Pontes hired Magrini to become assistant CEO.
Pontes praised Magrini, saying the former sheriff had the knowledge and experience to lead the construction of a new prison, including mental health and drug addiction treatment for inmates. He was also hired to lead the county’s efforts to eradicate illegal marijuana cultivation.
The new job came with a 31% pay rise for Magrini.
Provincial lawsuits
Shortly before Magrini stepped down to take the job as sheriff, Kropholler said he was placed on administrative leave in retaliation for filing the whistleblower report. Kropholler was eventually allowed to return to his duties, but he retired in January 2022.
In the meantime, county officials said the Ellis investigation ultimately found most of the allegations against Magrini “unfounded” and characterized four as “unintentional errors.” However, county officials would not release the report’s full fi
ndings.
In July 2021, the Board of Supervisors appointed former Anderson police chief Michael Johnson as sheriff, without conducting public interviews and with limited public input in the process.
In May 2022, Kropholler filed a lawsuit against the county, claiming he had retaliated for whistle-blowing what he called “serious” misconduct in the sheriff’s office.
The Record Searchlight also sued the county in July 2022 to obtain copies of the Ellis investigation.
Prior to suing the county, the paper filed four separate California Public Records Act requests for copies of the report. The newspaper also asked for copies of all communications between top officials about the Ellis report and the hirings of Magrini and Johnson. The province rejected all requests.
Following a trial in January, a Shasta County Supreme Court judge ruled on April 10 that the county must relinquish copies of the report and notices within 15 days. Instead of handing over the files, the county requested a stay of execution of the order and asked the judge to withdraw its ruling or hold a new trial.
Judge Stephen Baker denied the county’s requests and ordered the county to deliver the documents to the newspaper by Friday, May 26.
Dig deeper: ‘Sheer Aggression’: Shasta County Fires Back at Record Searchlight in Document Case
Record Searchlight’s attorney, Walt McNeill, said Baker County attorneys on Friday provided copies of the documents requested by the paper and made proposals to redact the records.
Prior to releasing the data to the newspaper, the judge will review the information for possible redactions to remove personal, private information. McNeill will also have the opportunity to approve or object to the proposed removed information.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Ex-Sheriff Eric Magrini On Leave From Shasta Co.: ‘Don’t Talk To Him’
