Benton County, Oregon

Making Benton County a Better Place to Live

Benton County Sheriff's Office – 160 Years of History

Badges of Benton County Sheriff's Office
Badges of five sheriffs, from approximately 1900 (upper left corner) to 1989 (upper right corner)

The history of the Benton County Sheriff's Office pre-dates Oregon statehood in 1859.

Historical Synopsis

The 1800’s…

Before 1841: Because there was no formal government in Oregon Country, law enforcement was performed by the Hudson Bay Company.

1841: A "High Sheriff" was chosen by the people living in the Willamette Valley.

1844: The Oregon Provisional Government, using the laws of Iowa Territory as a guide, made the Office of Sheriff mandatory.

1847: Benton County was created from Polk County. The original boundaries extended from Polk County on the north, the Willamette River on the east, the California border on the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

1848: The first Sheriff of Benton County, F. W. Hofins, was elected on June 5th. Less than a year later he left office to join the gold rush in California.

1849: Abraham Nelson Locke was appointed Sheriff. That term lasted a year but Locke came back in 1860 to serve a second term.

1850: Samuel F. Starr was elected Sheriff.

1852: S.M. Stout was elected Sheriff.

1852: The first homicide on record in Benton County was committed by Nimrod O'Kelly when he shot Jeremiah Mahoney for trespassing. On June 29th, O'Kelly was convicted and sentenced to hang, but the Governor commuted the sentence. When O'Kelly became the expense of the county, the Legislature appropriated $630.00 to the county for expenses incurred in guarding and keeping prisoners after conviction.

1853: T.J. Wright followed Stout as Sheriff, serving until 1855.

1855: John B. Congle served one of the shortest terms as Sheriff, only two months, before he resigned and was followed by James A. Bennett.

1856: The first jail was constructed while Sheriff Sheldon B. Fargo was in office.

1858: James P. Stewart was elected Sheriff but resigned only three months after taking office. George P. Wrenn was appointed to take Stewart’s place.

Oregon Becomes a State…

1859: Oregon was granted statehood. The Oregon Constitution named the Sheriff as ministerial officer of the circuit and county courts.

1860: Abraham Nelson Locke was re-elected Sheriff after a 10-year hiatus.

1860: What is believed to be the only execution in Benton County occurred on June 22nd when convicted murderer Philip George was hanged. He had been convicted of murdering his boarding house partner, John Clark, whom he hit over the head with a board

1862: Joseph C. Alexander was elected Sheriff. He later served in the State Legislature.

1864: Julius Brownson served as Sheriff until 1868.

1868: J. B. Palmer served as Sheriff until 1876.

1873: The first jail break in Benton County occurred when two prisoners named White and Jones escaped from the county jail. They were caught the same day they escaped and returned to jail by Sheriff Palmer.

1876: Solomon "Sol" King was Sheriff until 1886. King was one of the more colorful sheriffs characterized as “taller and bigger than most men of his time.”

1886: William MacKay served as Sheriff until 1892.

1888: Construction of the present day courthouse began. The second jail was built on the south side of the courthouse.

1892: David A. Osborn was elected Sheriff.

1893: A salary was first paid to the Sheriff.

1896: Peter Rickard was elected Sheriff and served until 1900.

The 1900s…

1900: M.P. Burnett was elected Sheriff.

1904: Chester “Peg-Leg” Keady went on a drunken rampage that ended in the death of Benton County Deputy Sheriff and former Corvallis Police Chief James W. Dunn and the wounding of Deputy (and former Sheriff) David A. Osburn. Keady was fatally shot by Sheriff Burnett.

1908: William A. Gellatly was elected Sheriff and served one of the longest terms as Sheriff. He had eight children, including two daughters who were deputies with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

1911: On June 2nd Eliza A. Griffin was found dead in Benton County and no one could tell if it had been a murder or suicide. Nine months later the mystery was solved when George Humphrey was arrested in Washington County and confessed to the Griffin murder.

1920: The Sheriff's term of office was extended from 2 to 4 years.

1920: Samuel N. Warfield was elected Sheriff.

1925: Emery J. Newton was appointed Sheriff and served for ten years. Before he was appointed Sheriff, Newton had also served as County Recorder and County Clerk.

1929: Another jail was built on the north side of the courthouse. The jail on the south side was torn down.

1936: William M. “Bill” Harper was elected Sheriff. In 1946 he resigned to become the Campus Marshal at Oregon State University.

1946: Clifford N. Lilly became Sheriff when Harper resigned.

1955: On October 24th, while trying to escape authorities after stealing a car, Martin B. Reyes shot and killed Jim Applegate, a member of the Benton County Posse. Reyes was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

1961: Sheriff’s Office deputies started wearing dark green uniforms.

1963: C.E. "Ed" Ream, a former captain with the Los Angeles Police Department, was elected Sheriff and served until 1971.

1967: The legislature adopted brown as the official color for uniforms in Sheriff's Offices.

1971: John T. "Jack" Dolan was elected Sheriff and served 18 years before resigning.

1971: The Benton County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol began.

1973: Tax collecting was removed as a Sheriff's Office responsibility by a home rule charter.

1974: Sheriff Dolan was named "Oregon Sheriff of the Year" by the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association (OSSA).

1975: The Benton County Correction Facility started a volunteer program.

1976: Construction on the present day County correctional facility was completed.

1976: The Joint City/County Law Enforcement Center was completed from federal grant monies. The Sheriff's Office had previously been located in the county courthouse.

1977: The Sheriff's Office started a ride-a-long program for any citizen 14 years and older.

1978: The Misdemeanant Parole and Probation Office began as a unit within the Sheriff's Office.

1979: The Sheriff's Office joined the Regional Automated Information Network (RAIN), which allowed computer access to local and national criminal information.

1981: The Sheriff's Office received a police dog from the Oregon State Sheriff's Association and the first Benton County K-9 patrol was created.

1984: Under the State Community Corrections Act, the Sheriff's Office assumed the administrative responsibility of all adult parole and probation programs within Benton County.

1985: The Sheriff's Office asked local high school students to design a new shoulder patch. Forty-seven drawings were submitted and Peter Erni, a 17-year -old senior at Corvallis High School received $100.00 for designing the new BCSO patch. It was multicolored with Marys Peak in the background and the historic courthouse in the foreground.

1985: The Detective Division began a polygraph program with the purchase of a polygraph instrument and the training of the deputy.

1985: The tactical CERT team was created (Civil Emergency Response Team) later known as the Benton-Linn SWAT team (Special Weapons and Tactics).

1986: The Benton County Corrections Facility was the first jail in Oregon to receive accreditation from the American Correctional Association.

1988: Parole and Probation started the Home Detention Program.

1989: David S. Cook became the 26th Sheriff by appointment of the Board of Commissioners.

1990: Twice the citizens of Benton County voted down an Adult Correctional Restitution Center Ballot Measure.

1990: David S. Cook was elected to his first four-year term of office.

1990: The juvenile diversion program was instituted within the Sheriff's Office.

1990: The Major Traffic Accident Investigation Team began operations.

1991: The Drug Abuse Resistance and Education (DARE) program was adopted for implementation by the Sheriff's Office.

1991: The Valley Interagency Narcotics Team (VALIANT), a multi-jurisdictional task force, was created. It was comprised of six sworn officers, serving Linn and Benton Counties.

1991: The Benton County Emergency Management Council was formed.

1992: The Sheriff's Office obtained $80,000 from a drug and money laundering forfeiture and purchased its first set of personal desktop computers to write incident reports.

1993: The jail increased its capacity from 27 to 40 beds.

1993: The Forest Patrol was started with a public-private partnership with Starker Forest.

1994: Benton County received a federal grant for community policing, funding four deputy positions.

1994: Benton County Emergency Manager Jim Swinyard received the Oregon Emergency Program Manager of the Year - Urban.

1995: Stan Robson was elected Sheriff.

1995: The Sheriff's Office took over the responsibilities for animal control.

1996:The first BCSO Web page was created to list the "most wanted" and provide sex offender notification.

1996: February flooding resulted in a Benton County Presidential Disaster Declaration.

1996: Significant flooding also occurred in late December and early January 1997.

1997: The Day Reporting Center was started.

1997: Two Web pages, a Community Notification Web page for predatory sexual offenders under Parole and Probation supervision, and an Absconders Web page, were established.

1997: The Sheriff's Office and Emergency Services prepared for Y2K.

1998: Automated Fingerprinting Information System (AFIS) was installed in the jail

1999: Emergency Management Council received FEMA’s Outstanding Federal Task Force Award.

The 2000s…

2000: Stan Robson was named "Sheriff of the Year" by the Oregon State Sheriff's Association.

2000: The Home Detention program ended with the passage of the jail bed rental levy.

2000: Received federal monies under the COPS grant that funded two positions.

2001: Jim Swinyard was appointed Sheriff by the Board of Commissioners.

2001: The Sheriff's Office started using VisionAire Records Management System.

2001: In July, the Transition Center opened to provide a safe, alcohol- and drug-free transitional housing to indigent offenders being released from prisons and local jails.

2001: In November, Parole and Probation entered into a multi-agency partnership to begin the Benton County Drug Treatment Court.

2002: The Sheriff's Office changed their uniform to black and gray with a new shoulder patch.

2002: Sheriff Swinyard was elected as Benton County's 28th Sheriff.

2002: A windstorm resulted in a Benton Small Business Disaster Declaration.

2003: In January, the first Employee Awards and Recognition program was instituted. Corporal David Scott was named the BCSO Employee of the Year for 2002.

2003: The Day Reporting Center was closed in May due to statewide community corrections budget reductions.

2003: In November, New Beginnings Treatment Center opened to provide substance abuse treatment services for parole and probation clients and Drug Treatment Court participants.

2003: A snow storm late in the year resulted in a Benton County Presidential Disaster Declaration.

2004: Just before Memorial Day, Brooke Wilberger was abducted, resulting in a major collaboration between the Benton County Sheriff's Office, Corvallis Police Department, Oregon State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other agencies assisting in the search and subsequent criminal investigation into her disappearance. Emergency Services Search and Rescue conducted numerous searches following up on tips and resulting in numerous hours contributed by volunteer searchers.

2004: In September, the first BCSO Citizen Academy was conducted.

2004: Deputy Jim Weikel named BCSO Employee of the Year.

2005: Assumed responsibility for Courthouse Security. Two Corrections Deputies assigned to Courthouse Security Program; one funded with County General Funds and the other with Court Security Funds.

2005: In April, a community survey was conducted to assist in strategic planning and to gauge the community's opinion of the Sheriff's Office.

2005: Mitchel Ryan Miller was charged in the Alsea double homicide of Jesse Reesman and Shane Buckley.

2005: A low crop yield resulted in a Benton County Agricultural Disaster Declaration.

2005: In December, the Law Enforcement Division obtained their first narcotics detection canine, "Bus" handled by Deputy Jim Weikel.

2005: Late in the year, flooding results in a Benton County Presidential Disaster Declaration.

2005: Gina Harris, Executive Secretary for Parole and Probation, named BCSO Employee of the Year.

2006: Diana L. Simpson was elected Sheriff, becoming the first woman in Oregon’s history to be elected Sheriff.

2006: The third OSSA Jail Standards Inspection for Policy and Practice completed with a 100% compliance rating.

2006: Sgt. J. Scott Jackson, AIC Lt. Corrections, named BCSO Employee of the Year.

2007: The Sheriff’s Office and the Corvallis Police Department completed a number of co-location initiatives to improve efficiencies.

2007: The Sheriff’s Office dropped 24/7 patrol operations due to county budget cuts.

2007: Street Crimes deputies collaborated with other agencies around the state on a major drug ring investigation code named “Operation Ice Breaker.”

2007: The BCSO Annual Report was shifted to fiscal year reporting to better mesh with county budget reports.

2007: Inmate uniforms are changed to black and white stripes to reduce loss of uniforms which was occurring as a result of frequent inmate transports to contract beds in other counties.

2007: In September, Lt. Greg Ridler, Law Enforcement Commander, graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

2007: In September deputies conducted a raid of a marijuana grow located near Alsea Falls on Bureau of Land Management property. The raid resulted in the seizure and destruction of 7,951 marijuana plants, the largest seizure to date in Benton County history.

2007: In October, the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association jail inspectors completed their audit and inspection of BCCF. The jail passed the inspection with a 99% compliance rate on 400 standards.

2007: In November, voters passed the Levy to Restore Limited Public Safety and Health Services. BCSO began recruiting to restore law enforcement positions.

2007: Sgt. Shawn Spevacek, Corrections, was named Outstanding Supervisor of the Year by the OSSA Jail Command Council.

2007: Sgt. Loretta Robinson, Law Enforcement Division, named BCSO Employee of the Year.

2008: The Sheriff’s Office updated their uniform shoulder patch. A group of volunteers sew the new patches onto uniforms saving close to $3,000.00.

2008: In February 2008 the day room at the jail was officially dedicated as the Steven J. Oldenstadt Inmate Program Room. Oldenstadt served as Chief Corrections Deputy with the BCSO from 1984 until his retirement in 2003. He passed away in July 2007.

2008: Lt. J. Scott Jackson, Jail Commander, was promoted to Undersheriff.

2008: In April, a team of deputies from both the Law Enforcement and Corrections Divisions transported Joel Courtney from New Mexico to Oregon where he was being extradited on charges of kidnap, sexual assault and murder of Brooke Wilberger. The transport mission was completed without incident.

2008: In September, a volunteer committee launched the first annual “Benton County Sheriff’s Office Chili Cook-Off” to raise money for Benton County children. $11,000 was raised for CASA – Voices for Children.

2008: In December the Dragon sculpture atop Monroe High School’s cupola was stolen. Through diligent investigation, Deputies Ben Drongesen and Greg Goller tracked the sculpture to a locked basement closet in Eugene. It was retrieved and returned to the school.

2008: Sgt. Diana Rabago, Corrections, named BCSO Employee of the Year.

2009: In January the Sheriff’s Office developed a new mission statement: “To provide professional service and protection with honor and integrity.”

2009: In April local emergency managers and the Benton County Incident Management Team conducted a full scale exercise entitled “Cascadia Peril.” This exercise assumed that a magnitude 9.0 earthquake had taken place.

2009: In September the 2nd Annual BCSO Chili Cook-Off raised nearly $14,500 for Strengthening Rural Families.

2009: The Sheriff’s Office created a Peer Support Team.

2009: With increased staffing levels, the Sheriff’s Office resumed 24/7 patrol coverage in the county.

2009: The volunteer Auxiliary Team was formed. Projects included development of an electronic newsletter, radar trailer placement, help with vehicle inspections, management of the Neighborhood Watch and You Are Not Alone programs and a variety of other duties to support the agency.

2009: The Sheriff’s Office received state accreditation through the Oregon Accreditation Alliance.

2009: Mary King, Emergency Services Program Manager, named BCSO Employee of the Year.

2010: In March the Linn-Benton Alert System was activated. The mass notification system was designed to automatically send alerts to landline telephones in Linn and Benton counties in case of an emergency.

2010: In May the BCSO held its first annual “Drug Turn-In Event” to allow the public to turn in unwanted prescription drugs and other medications to keep them from being misused.

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