Sheriff investigation underway

NAMPA (AP) - A letter from Canyon County commissioners to the Idaho attorney general indicates that complaints regarding alleged misconduct by a sheriff relates to the sheriff's nonprofit organization.

The Aug. 13 letter refers to a complaint issued by a Canyon County employee. The complaint alleges Sheriff Kieran Donahue misused his official position as sheriff in support of his nonprofit's Man Up Crusade, a campaign to combat domestic violence.

The letter released Thursday says commissioners have received similar complaints against Donahue from local taxpayers.

"We have encouraged them to contact law enforcement if they felt a crime has been committed," the letter states. "Given what we have learned about the recent employee complaint, however, we believed it important to contact your office directly to make you aware that we may have collateral information of use in your investigation."

The office of the attorney general has launched an investigation into Donahue regarding the anonymous complaints. The office has requested several documents for their investigation, including cellphone records for county-paid cell service, time sheet records and county-paid travel expenditures.

In a letter to the attorney general sent Aug. 7, Donahue noted that two of the investigators are former employees of the Canyon County Sheriff's Office.

"I trust that investigation into these important matters will be assigned to other personnel to whom no personal involvement or agenda might be imputed," Donahue wrote.

Donahue issued a public statement Tuesday, saying he is fully cooperating with the investigation and he is confident he will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Donahue became sheriff in January 2013 after serving as the county's chief deputy. He formed his private nonprofit, The K. Donahue Foundation Inc., four years ago.