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Former KCSO deputy fired

by KEITH COUSINS/kcousins@cdapress.com
| July 17, 2014 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - A former Kootenai County Sheriff's deputy - who once turned down a lifetime medical pension so he could remain in law enforcement - was fired by Spokane County this week for working another job while on duty.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that Charles "Chuck" Sciortino was terminated following the completion of an investigation initiated in March.

"After reviewing all of the information contained in the internal investigation, Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich determined there was just cause for Sciortino's termination," stated a SCSO press release.

Multiple media outlets in Spokane reported that Sciortino was working at Best Buy while he was supposed be on patrol in Spokane.

Sciortino was a Kootenai County Sheriff's Deputy until June of 2008, when he made a lateral transfer to Spokane.

Prior to his employment in North Idaho, Sciortino worked for the Riverside Police Department in California until he was shot and critically injured during a 1995 traffic stop.

The Riverside Police Department medically retired him with full benefits and pension, but 14 months later he requested to return to work. That request was denied and Sciortino accepted a job with another police department in California, forgoing his lifetime pension. A year later he was working as a deputy in Kootenai County.