Sheriff Curtis Hill recently hired an outside investigator to
examine allegations against Undersheriff Pat Turturici related to
his campaign and claims that he made threats to office employees,
sources familiar with the probe confirmed to the Free Lance.
Sheriff Curtis Hill recently hired an outside investigator to examine allegations against Undersheriff Pat Turturici related to his campaign and claims that he made threats to office employees, sources familiar with the probe confirmed to the Free Lance.
Hill, when asked today about the Turturici investigation, declined to comment.
“I can’t (talk) about personnel issues,” Hill said.
Turturici responded by calling the investigation “dirty politics.” One county board member, meanwhile, questioned the timing and contended it was “politically motivated.”
The sources with direct knowledge of the hiring said Hill, who has endorsed Turturici in the sheriff’s race, commissioned the outside private investigator’s help in light of allegations from others within the department that the undersheriff harassed employees in relation to his race against Watsonville police Lt. Darren Thompson.
The investigator’s hiring occurred after deputies approached Hill with allegations that Turturici threatened them regarding job status, according to the sources.
It adds to a tumultuous October for Turturici’s campaign. Less than two weeks ago, the San Benito County Deputy Sheriff’s Association withdrew its prior endorsement of him. Earlier this week, Santa Clara and Monterey counties’ deputy unions followed suit and pulled their support as well. Local DSA President Mike Mull afterward publicly noted one example for the withdrawal, how Turturici accepted a $750 donation from a felon on probation for a drug charge.
The undersheriff offered a brief response to the investigator’s hiring.
“It’s dirty politics with three weeks left with the campaign, after 27 years of being in law enforcement with an unblemished record,” Turturici said. “It’s clearly a negative campaign smear against me and my family.”
He declined to elaborate further.
Since it is a personnel matter, details about the hiring – such as the cost and identity of the investigator – remain unclear. Interim County Administrative Officer Rich Inman did not immediately return a phone call today.
Supervisors reached before publication declined to comment on details of the probe but they were aware of it.
Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz expressed frustration it is occurring just weeks before the Nov. 2 election.
“I just question the timing of what’s going on right now,” De La Cruz said. “I just feel it’s all politically motivated, especially the timing of the situation. Yet again, we’re putting another log on the fire of why people don’t get involved in the community.”
Supervisor Margie Barrios said she would “rather not” talk about it.
“The fact that it’s an investigation, I would really rather let the authorities handle it,” she said.
Thompson did not immediately return a phone call before publication.
