Cascade County Sheriff Edwards won't surrender law enforcement certificates

Phil Drake
Great Falls Tribune

HELENA – Cascade County Sheriff Bob Edwards told a state ethics panel he will not surrender the law enforcement certificates they asked him to return following a June 15 disturbance with his girlfriend and instead made a counteroffer seeking probation.

Perry Johnson, executive director of the Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council, said Tuesday that the POST Case Status Committee will consider Edwards' offer at its April 4 meeting.

The request for the peace officer and coroner certificates to be returned came after a Feb. 6 hearing before the POST panel.

Cascade County Sheriff Bob Edwards

Edwards said Tuesday he is seeking probation, which has been used in other cases.

"I'm not trying to get out of anything," he said. "I just want it to be fair and consistent."

Cascade County Sheriff Bob Edwards, right, talks to the POST panel in February.

Johnson would not release the details of Edwards’ offer, saying he wanted to present it to the committee first.

But he did confirm that the counter offer did involve probation.

Johnson said the committee will consider the offer and discuss whether to accept it or take another action.

Johnson said getting counter offers from those appearing before the board is not unusual.

“It’s pretty common,” he said.

He said some probationary periods have gone as long as five years.

Johnson said there could be an appeal for the hearing or it could become a court action.

Edwards said if his counter offer is rejected, he would talk to his attorney and likely request a hearing.

Neither the incident nor a loss of certifications precludes him from being sheriff.

Edwards, a Democrat, filed for re-election Monday. He will face off against fellow Democrats George Kynett and Jesse Slaughter for the June 5 primary for the Cascade County sheriff/coroner post. Bob Rosipal is running as a Republican.

The general election is Nov. 6.

Edwards has been the Cascade County Sheriff for eight years and is a 26-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office. He also serves as county coroner.

In June, Edwards was arrested following a disturbance with his girlfriend at a law enforcement convention in Helena. He completed a deferred prosecution agreement for misdemeanor partner/family member assault, and the charges were dropped in February.

That agreement included 40 hours of counseling with a focus on domestic disturbance interactions.

At a news conference Saturday announcing his re-election, he said he has apologized and said he can still be an effective leader. He said the good he has done in office has far outweighed the bad.

At the Feb. 6 POST hearing, Johnson said staff reviewed body camera footage, talked to 24 witnesses, the Helena Police Department and Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's investigations, saying they found that alcohol was a factor, physical contact was a factor, a firearm was involved and public integrity was a factor.

POST is a quasi-judicial board sanctioned by the state Constitution and located at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Helena. The council is administratively attached to the Department of Justice, but is independent because of its oversight of DOJ employees, officials said.

POST handles suspension or revocation of certification of public safety officers, provides for the certification and re-certification of public safety officers and oversees training.

Edwards arrest happened on June 15 following an argument with his girlfriend that escalated at the Radisson Colonial Hotel in Helena during a convention of the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, which was attended by about 200 law enforcement officers.

The Montana Law Enforcement Academy near Helena.

They both had reportedly been drinking alcohol while playing golf.

The girlfriend told officers that Edwards was struggling with mental health issues following the death of a Broadwater County Deputy Mason Moore in May, and after Cascade County Deputy Joe Dunn was killed in the line of duty in 2014.

Edwards disputed any mental health issues, or that the emotions evoked by Moore's death contributed in any way to the Helena incident. He denied having post-traumatic stress disorder or being suicidal.

The Cascade County sheriff’s position pays $78,500 per year. Edwards, who has been certified as coroner for more than 20 years, said he is paid $3,032 a year to be coroner.

Reach Phil Drake at 406-422-0772 or pdrake@greatfallstribune.com.