Two regulation enforcement businesses just lately investigated separate allegations towards Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn — that he stole from a enterprise affiliate and destroyed public data from his former function as Woodland mayor.
Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies referred felony fees of first- and second-degree theft towards Finn and his spouse to the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Lawyer’s Workplace for assessment of a submitting determination, sheriff’s workplace Chief Legal Deputy Troy Brightbill stated Thursday. He stated the investigation consists of allegations of theft from a enterprise affiliate of the Finns’ who labored within the trip rental enterprise.
Cowlitz County Prosecutor Ryan Jurvakainen stated an out of doors prosecutor’s workplace will assessment the investigation, together with a Thurston County Sheriff’s Workplace investigation surrounding allegations of public data destruction regarding Finn’s former metropolis cellphone.
Jurvakainen stated he hasn’t but confirmed which prosecutor’s workplace will assessment the investigations and doesn’t but have a timeline for any charging determination.
When reached by cellphone Thursday, Finn declined to touch upon the felony investigations. He stays on paid administrative depart from his place with the State Patrol whereas the prosecutorial assessment is pending, in line with an company spokesman.
Brightbill stated the theft allegations occurred in Woodland, however the Woodland Police Division requested the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Workplace conduct the investigation on account of a possible battle of curiosity given Finn’s earlier place as mayor. He was mayor from 2016-2023, and misplaced his bid for reelection in August 2023.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Workplace acquired the case in August, Brightbill stated. The enterprise relationship between the Finns and the affiliate lasted from September 2019 to April 2024, he stated.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Workplace additionally accomplished an investigation into felony allegations towards Finn, on the request of the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Workplace, in line with a duplicate of the investigation obtained by The Columbian.
Thurston County deputies stated present Woodland Mayor Todd Dinehart reported that Finn had deleted the contents of his city-issued cellphone, destroying public data. Deputies realized the problem got here up after a citizen’s public data request for the contents of Finn’s cellphone, in line with the report.
Deputies met with Metropolis Clerk Amanda Hougan. She stated when she returned from trip after Finn had left workplace, there have been two telephones ready for her. One belonged to Finn and one other belonged to a different outgoing metropolis official. She turned on Finn’s cellphone to meet the general public data request, she stated, however famous it had been reset to manufacturing facility settings, the report states.
Deputies stated Hougan instructed them she’d repeatedly requested Finn to attach his metropolis cellphone to a software program that collects information to protect it for report holding. She stated throughout Finn’s complete time period, he refused to take action till his final day, however by then he had reset his cellphone, in line with the report.
One other metropolis official instructed deputies he’d met with Finn after Finn left workplace to offer him a thanks card. Throughout their assembly, he stated Finn stated one thing like, “Ha ha, good luck getting anything off my phone, I did a factory reset,” the report states.
Deputies served a search warrant on the cellphone and located restricted information, most of which was dated after Finn left workplace, in line with the report.
Investigators contacted Finn, who allegedly instructed them he deleted the cellphone’s information as a result of the mayoral race between himself and Dinehart turned “heated” and “nasty.” He stated he didn’t belief Dinehart and didn’t know what town would do with the knowledge from his cellphone, in line with the report.
Finn allegedly instructed deputies he downloaded the information from his cellphone to his private pc at house earlier than he erased the cellphone. He thought he had given permission for town’s software program to obtain and retailer information from the cellphone in actual time, he allegedly stated. However deputies famous within the report that clarification didn’t match Finn’s statements about erasing the cellphone due to an absence of belief in metropolis officers.
Finn offered investigators with a USB, which he stated contained all the metropolis information he had on his private pc. Deputies famous within the report that there was no method for them to know if that was all the information.
Deputies wrote within the report that Finn erasing the information from the cellphone and concealing it on his private pc met the weather of violating the “injury to and misappropriation of record” statute.
Woodland metropolis officers have additionally alleged that Finn owes $580 for which he by no means reimbursed town. The allegation stems from a state audit’s findings launched in December.
A Jan. 6 metropolis council assembly agenda included a requirement letter to Finn from town requesting quick compensation of the funds.
“Pursuant to the findings by the Washington State Auditor, the city of Woodland hereby requests the immediate repayment of the outstanding $580 resulting from your misuse of a city credit card,” the letter states.
The audit beneficial town search compensation and strengthen its controls over spending.
Finn despatched a response letter to metropolis officers. He stated in his response that he realized of the demand letter by social media, which he stated was unprofessional and regarding. He stated the audit’s account of $580 owed is imprecise and isn’t backed up with proof.
“The lack of communication regarding demand of payment and deception of the community with a false narrative only leads me to believe this public posturing is an attempt to slander my administration once again through a public assassination of character and the city’s lack of policies at the time,” Finn stated in his letter.
Throughout that January assembly, Dinehart refuted that he was coming after a former political opponent.
“I wanted to be clear here, this is not a witch hunt. This is not a Todd Dinehart thing,” he stated. “This is an audit that’s required, and I want people to know what we, as a city, and our employees are doing to correct the issues that are out there.”
