BEND — A Deschutes County woman is threatening legal action against the county for a former sheriff’s office detective’s actions against her, alleging authorities were negligent, caused her “severe emotional distress” and invaded her privacy, according to a tort claim.

The tort claim, emailed to the county in October, cites the actions of former Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office detective Ron Brown, who a judge recently found guilty of two counts of official misconduct. Drake Hood, the attorney representing the woman, declined to comment.

Brown investigated the Aug. 27, 2022, suicide of the woman’s fiancé, according to the tort claim.

The woman asked Brown to delete sexual images of her and her fiance so his family wouldn’t see them, the tort claim states. Brown agreed, but then sent the images to his own phone.

Judge Annette C. Hillman ruled in Deschutes County Circuit Court earlier this month that Brown did this to sexually gratify himself.

Judge: Former Deschutes County detective guilty in sexual image, misconduct case

Later, as the woman was being evicted from the Sugarloaf Mt. Motel in Bend she called Brown for help retrieving some of her belongings. He obliged and then called her to come get her things in his patrol car in the parking lot of a Shari’s Restaurant in south Bend, according to the tort claim, which uses facts established in court.

“Upon her arrival at Det. Brown’s County vehicle, Det. Brown exposed his aroused genitals to Ms. Miller while watching pornography on an electronic device,” the tort claim says.

John Laherty, the legal counsel with Deschutes County who is handling the case, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Brown’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5. He faces a maximum sentence of two years in jail.

The woman’s case would be the most recent lawsuit prompted by alleged wrongdoing by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office personnel.

In 2019, the mother of a deceased jail inmate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against county authorities, alleging they were deliberately indifferent prior to his March 2018 suicide. She alleges authorities knew her son, Bryan Penner, was at risk of harming himself, but he still managed to hang himself by a towel in the jail shower. The suit is ongoing, according to court records.

Penner’s mother sues Deschutes sheriff’s office for son’s 2018 jail suicide

In May 2022, a former Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office captain filed a $2.5 million federal lawsuit against Sheriff Shane Nelson, alleging Nelson violated his right to free speech and status as a whistleblower.

The longtime supervisor, Deron McMaster, alleged Nelson concealed evidence relating to a co-worker’s internal investigation of abuse and demoted McMaster for speaking out about improper actions by the sheriff and the sheriff’s wife.

Former captain files $2.5 million lawsuit against Deschutes County sheriff

The sheriff’s office has disputed the allegations. That case, too, is ongoing in federal court, according to court records.

Former Deschutes County deputy allegedly gave alcohol to minor