LEWISTON, ID – A former Nez Perce County Sheriff’s K9 Deputy who was fired from the agency in January has filed a federal lawsuit against the county’s sheriff, prosecutor, numerous law enforcement officers, and others claiming he was fired in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment and employees viewing pornographic material. George “JR” Gregory had previously filed a tort claim notice, a necessary step for those wishing to file a claim of damages against a governmental agency.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Idaho, Gregory was fired via a Notice of Termination on January 12th which he previously claimed was “without justification or due cause.” He had been placed on administrative leave beginning on November 30, 2022.
An 18-year law enforcement officer, Gregory was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in 2017. He was the handler of K9 Ikar since 2019 and was previously a K9 deputy in Lincoln County for five years.
In his lawsuit, Gregory claims he was unlawfully terminated as the result of retribution for actions of the sheriff’s office in violation of his state and federal constitutional rights. The court document states the true cause of his termination was his “disclosure of pornography being viewed and other inappropriate behavior at the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office by the Defendants and [his] efforts to stop this behavior,” the lawsuit says.
“On or about September 22, 2022 [Gregory] reported to County Commissioner Don Beck that [on that day] he witnessed fellow officers viewing pornography at the Sheriff’s Office in violation of Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Offices’ regulation. Other actions of a sexual nature were observed and reported by the Plaintiff after his report to Commissioner Beck,” the court document says.
On November 19, 2022, in his regular course of duties, Gregory was dispatched to a domestic violence incident that resulted in the arrest of a citizen for alleged obstructing and delaying.
“During this domestic violence call the “Watchguard System”, a critical tool provided to officers for critical review of acts and the drafting [of] their reports was inoperable,” the document states, adding that the alleged defendants “made no effort to assist [Gregory] in recovering this critical data.”
Gregory was supervising a new deputy during the call and that officer’s body camera recording was available “but did not show the actions of the Plaintiff,” the lawsuit says.
“During this domestic violence call, [Gregory] asked at least four (4) times for the name of the party in suspicion of the domestic violence. The party later identified as a non-enrolled tribal member, white male, (“the citizen”), refused to give his name, refused to listen to the officers, and refused to follow the instructions given to him by the Plaintiff,” the document adds. “During this domestic violence call, [he] was aware of potential danger as the male individual entered his residence…out of [Gregory’s] sight and [he] feared for his own safety and the safety of the junior officer.”
As a result, Gregory detained and then arrested the man.
The video from the junior officer was just over two minutes in length and was allegedly not reviewed prior to Gregory’s termination.
“Plaintiff subsequently filed his domestic violence call arrest report and was not allowed the opportunity to amend or supplement the report once the appropriate body camera recording of the incident and arrest became available,” the lawsuit states. “Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office released the arrested individual indicating to [Gregory], without review of [his] supporting evidence, that [Gregory] had made an improper arrest.”
Gregory was then placed on administrative leave and subject to the “Brady Rule” which his lawsuit claims was without the sheriff’s office following proper procedure and without allowing him to show the video evidence that his arrest of the individual was properly conducted.
A Brady Notice essentially notifies the legal and law enforcement communities that an officer does not have credibility in any law enforcement manner.
Gregory had a hearing on any potential termination on January 5th and was terminated from his position with the sheriff’s office on January 12th.
Meanwhile, Gregory claims that no action was taken in regard to his reporting of the alleged pornography viewing nor was he advised that he was now subject to the “Brady Rule”.
Gregory is seeking more than $900,000 for loss of income; monetary restitution for loss of medical and associated insurances; attorney fees; as well as amounts for the alleged damage to his professional reputation, physical and emotional distress, and the loss of his K9 partner, IKAR.
“This action by Defendants damaged [Gregory] and [his] family by the intentional infliction of severe emotional distress, animal cruelty, and misapplication of Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office resources,” the lawsuit says.
The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office announced in April that K9 Ikar, a Belgian Malinois, found a new home with Precision K9 Detection, which is located in Lewiston.
