Jessica Cejnar Andrews / Monday, March 14, 2022 @ 2:42 p.m.
Randy Waltz is Still Del Norte Sheriff Despite Perjury, Fraud Charges, CAO Says
Randy Waltz
Previously:
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Despite facing felony charges of perjury, voter registration fraud and election fraud, Randy Waltz is still Del Norte County’s appointed sheriff, according to County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez.
Lopez said he expected Waltz to tender his resignation on Monday, but the appointed sheriff hasn’t submitted one.
“He hasn’t submitted anything to the Board or myself or the HR director,” Lopez told the Wild Rivers Outpost. “He’s only been charged. He hasn’t been convicted of anything. I’m assuming he’ll still be sheriff.”
Since District Attorney Katherine Micks announced Wednesday that she had filed charges against Waltz, accusing him of listing a false Smith River address on his California Voter Registration form, Waltz has not returned phone calls.
However, in a text message Monday, Waltz referred the Outpost to his attorney, George Mavris. He also referred the Outpost to Lt. Daniel Schneck for information on DNSO cases.
Mavris could not be reached for comment.
The false address Micks said Waltz allegedly listed on his voter registration — 16855 U.S. 101 N #2 in Smith River — is a short-term vacation rental, the Sacramento Bee reported last week.
According to Micks, Waltz not only unlawfully registered to vote on Feb. 8 using that address, he declared his candidacy for sheriff using that Smith River address.
Waltz did not submit his nomination papers to the Del Norte County Elections Office and is, therefore, not an official candidate for sheriff, according to County Clerk-Recorder Alissia Northrup.
Retired Crescent City Police lieutenant Garrett Scott is running for sheriff unopposed. The third announced candidate in the sheriff race, Del Norte County Sheriff’s Sgt. Enrique Ortega, didn’t submit his paperwork either, according to Northrup.
Even though Scott is running unopposed, he still has to appear on the June 7 ballot, Northrup told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday.
If he’s elected, Scott would take his seat in January 2023, though the Board of Supervisors could appoint him to the position earlier, Northrup said.
Waltz had been the primary media contact for the sheriff’s office. According to the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office secretary, Diana Stanely, the DNSO has been without an official public information officer since Sheriff’s Cmdr. Bill Steven retired in 2020.
When asked about Waltz, Stanely said Monday that she hadn’t seen a notification from him that he had resigned.
Waltz became Del Norte County Sheriff in September 2021 when his predecessor, Erik Apperson, resigned. The Del Norte County Board of Supervisors appointed him to the position on Sept. 28, 2021 by a 4-1 vote. District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey dissented.
On Friday, speaking with KFUG Community News reporter Mike Thornton, Starkey said she had wanted the public to “watch the entire process as it unfolds” even if that means a candidate for sheriff had to apply to be appointed. This means their application is a public document and the interview process is public, Starkey told Thornton.
“They’re elected officials,” she said. “The public needs to know who is in those roles.”
When the Board of Supervisors appointed Waltz, there had been no interview process, Starkey told the Outpost on Monday.
Starkey told KFUG that she and her colleagues were notified last Tuesday that the DA intended to file charges against Waltz.
However, she was unable to provide further detail about how the county is handling those charges, stating that it is a “personnel matter that we can’t really talk about.”
Waltz is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. March 29.
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