Did Franklin sheriff comply with a court order in fight over the jail?

The Franklin County sheriff handed over “papers, keys, license and information about taser cartridges” hours before a Wednesday court-ordered deadline.

Sheriff Jim Raymond filed a declaration outlining how he complied with a judge’s order to transfer the disputed equipment to the county. But whether he’s done enough to head off fines remains unclear.

Raymond told reporters Thursday that he complied with the order even though he declared he would continue to fight the county commissioners and the county administrator over the equipment.

“We’ll see what happens here today with that,” he told reporters and members of the public. “But I’m willing to go. And I’ll go, if I got to go. I’ll tell you that I was born and raised a fighter and when I leave this office, I’ll still be a fighter.”

The media event comes days after Walla Walla County Superior Court Judge Brandon Johnson ordered Raymond to turn over the equipment by Wednesday, May 27. If he didn’t, he would face a $3,500 fine, and then be fined $1,000 a day.

The county’s attorneys on the case have not said if they accepted the items or believe the court order is not satisfied. County Administrator Brian Dansel didn’t answer questions about the sheriff’s statement.

Raymond questioned whether the county could transfer over the fingerprint scanner, saying that it was owned by the Washington State Patrol. He also claimed the car and taser cartridges that the commissioners wanted don’t exist.

None of that had been raised in the court hearings between February through last week. Though Raymond claims it had.

He also said that he’s prepared to turn over six guns as well, but not to the Franklin County Department of Corrections. He doesn’t believe the guns can be legally possessed by the corrections officers.

Franklin County equipment dispute

The dispute stems from a decision last year, when the county commissioners removed the jail from the sheriff’s department and created a new corrections department.

When the county took over jail operations, Sheriff Raymond initially took 30 guns from the jail that were licensed under his office. He later returned them.

Six other guns are still in the sheriff’s office. The county also took over issuing security cards to employees, and demanded that a patrol car and one of the two fingerprint machines at the sheriff’s office be returned.

Raymond, who is retiring at the end of the year, said he needs to maintain control over the security cards to protect the security at the courthouse.

Officials said the newer fingerprint machine has features that are needed for daily use in the office and that a detective is already driving the patrol car.

The sheriff’s office still has access to the security logs for people coming and going from the courthouse.

However, Johnson ruled in February that the county owns the property, so the commissioners can decide what to do with it.

He also noted he can’t weigh in on whether it’s a good or bad idea for the commissioners to remove the equipment.