Home News Former upstate NY deputy gets $45,000 in settlement over ex-boss’ abuse of...

Former upstate NY deputy gets $45,000 in settlement over ex-boss’ abuse of power

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Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill
Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill


Luke Cromp, a former Franklin County sheriff’s deputy, accused his former bosses of abusing their power two years ago.

In 2014, the former deputy said that his second in command ordered him to “follow, pull over, and arrest three legislators who opposed the sheriff’s political agenda.”

He told county officials about the alleged plot and the case was handed over to the DA’s office.

After coming forward about his boss’s misuse of power, Cromp was accused of improperly supervising an inmate and he was suspended without pay. He claimed the sheriff’s office was  retaliating against him for reporting them to the board and sued the department for employment discrimination in federal court.

The legal dispute has now been settled and the county will pay him $45,000 — $15,000 of which will come from taxpayer dollars, according to North Country Public Radio.

Tensions between the Franklin County’s board of legislators and the sheriff’s department can be traced back to 2011– NCPR reported. It all started, apparently, when the sheriff asked lawmakers to hire more guards at the county jail and give the staff there a pay raise. When the raise was taken away, things turned ugly.

The sheriff says his office did not break any rules and this is not an admission of wrongdoing. “It’s cheaper to settle than to fight and win,” Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill said.

The criminal case against former Undersheriff Patrick White– the official who ordered Cromp to pull the lawmakers over– is still pending.

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