UKIAH -- A Mendocino County sheriff's deputy says in a lawsuit he was passed over for promotions because he reported sexual misconduct involving his supervising sergeant and another deputy when they all worked at the Covelo substation.


Deputy Jason Cox's lawsuit filed in Superior Court on Friday contends he was demoted from his position at the Covelo resident post because of his "refusal to partake in sexual activities, refusal to engage in inappropriate and illicit behavior, and his reporting of inappropriate and illegal acts" by Sgt. Shannon Barney to colleagues and supervisors.

He is suing the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Tom Allman and Barney.

"I can't comment on that," Allman said Monday, citing the litigation.

Mendocino County Counsel Jeanine Nadel also refused to comment, saying she had not received a copy of the suit.

The court filing claims Barney made sexual overtures toward Cox and other deputies and their wives.

The overtures involved "wife swapping," Cox said Monday.

Another deputy, Brett White, also sexually harassed Cox, according to the lawsuit. White, who committed suicide last year while suspended from work, had an affair with Cox's wife, the lawsuit claims.

White's estate is not listed as a defendant, though he was named in Cox's original complaint filed with the county.

White's suicide was followed 10 months later by the suicide of deputy Eric Gore, who also had been assigned to Covelo during that time.

Insiders say the Covelo sheriff's substation suffered from severe morale and disciplinary problems.

The lawsuit claims Barney and Gore both drank alcohol on the job and that Cox was forced to ask for reassignment, which resulted in a pay cut, after he reported the harassment.

He said White threatened him physically and Barney filed a negative employee performance report. He alleges that Barney's superiors did not intervene.

Allman was Barney's supervisor in the Sheriff Office's northern sector during that time of the allegations.

As a result of his reports, the lawsuit said Cox has been passed over for promotions.

Meanwhile, Barney has been promoted to the position of coroner in the Ukiah office, the lawsuit notes.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com.