Blocking of Public Records in Shasta County

A recent whistleblower document on misconduct within the Shasta Sheriff department has been verified as authentic by a police captain within the county. The user, first known by the pseudonym “Shasta,” wrote and uploaded a 13-page report on the actions and wrongdoings of officers under Sheriff Eric Magrini, which was later turned over to a third-party investigator to verify the claims of the document.

While the exact allegations have not been released, 4 have been classified as “inadvertent errors,” and 11 have been deemed “not sustained.” Former Sheriff’s Captain Pat Kropholler was determined to have written the letter, as the original document was topped with his lawyer’s letterhead. Kropholler denies he posted the letter, but confirms he reviewed it online and it is only missing small aesthetic details and a section on Magrini’s education.

Some of the “clearly criminal” claims in the letter include an accusation of Magrini using a police database to gain information against Matt Pontes, a man running for County CEO at the time of the alleged data combing. Kropholler claims that he heard the former personnel director Angela Davis asking Magrini for the information to disqualify Pontes from the race, as she was also campaigning for the position of County CEO (Pontes was elected as Shasta’s County CEO while Angela Davis now serves as Siskiyou County’s CEO).

Also in the letter, Kropholler stated that Magrini lied to the public when he claimed he did not coordinate with a local militia which was present at a Black Lives Matter protest in Redding. The document alleged that Magrini was in close communication with the militia both during and after the march, sending drone images to the militia while the protest occurred and blocked public records requests about his communications during the march.

Finally, the whistleblower letter alleged Magrini and “other county officials” were holding on to decades old information about criminal theft to hold over Pontes head “if he got out of line.” Kropholler says that the county hid information about Magrini and other officials – and rather than look into his claims, the county has opened an investigation against him. Kropholler has been cleared to return for work and has not received any disciplinary penalties.

The continued obstruction of public records requests in this case have made it incredibly difficult for the public to examine the facts of Magrini’s administration. This has sabotaged one of the most essential methods for the public to access to the choices elected officials make every day.

At Transparent California, it’s our goal to make the concept of a record requests easy to understand. Offering step by step guidance on the process, and a source to let you make your specific request, we want to ensure that your government can be held accountable by you. For more information or to make your own records request, visit transparentcalifornia.com/