Sheriff Candidate on Leave; Troopers to Probe Schooling Claims

Sgt. Burright says he didn't mean to mislead anybody and he plans to remain in the election Photo Courtesy: burrightforsheriff.com

(CORVALLIS – AP) - An officer campaigning for Benton County sheriff has been put on paid leave while the Oregon State Police investigates allegations that he lied about his educational background. A newspaper reported last week that Benton County sergeant Jack Burright bought a college degree from an unaccredited university and that on at least five applications indicated that he had graduated from Corvallis High School in 1985 when he had not. District Attorney Scott Heiser says an investigation is warranted and he asked the state police to conduct it to avoid any conflict of interest between his office and the sheriff's department. Burright says he didn't intend to mislead anybody, and vowed to remain in the sheriff's race. He faces Undersheriff Diana Simpson in the November election.