Sheriff's Office Deputy Arrested; Second Arrest In Two Weeks

BEAVERTON, OR — For the second week in a row a Washington County Sheriff's Office employee was arrested by his peers.

Deputy Bryce Anthony Kampwerth, 33, was taken to the Washington County Jail Monday for possession of anabolic steroids, a controlled synthetic testosterone hormone typically used by body builders (illegally) to decrease body fat while increasing muscle growth. Doctors will prescribe anabolic steroids to treat delayed puberty or help boys who have genetic disorders to grow normally.

In cooperation with a Beaverton Police Department investigation initiated by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, sheriff's officials placed Kampwerth on administrative leave earlier this month after receiving information implicating Kampwerth of the alleged possession and misuse of steroids.

Beaverton investigators reportedly learned Kampwerth had been in possession of the steroids since May 2017.

Kampwerth, a Sherwood resident, was arrested on a secret indictment that came from a grand jury hearing Dec. 15.

An internal investigation will be conducted, officials said.

Washington County Sheriff's spokesman Jeff Talbot told Patch in an email Tuesday the two arrests are unrelated "both in their nature and how the Sheriff’s Office became aware of them," noting the release of information was done to increase transparency and maintain public trust throughout the greater Washington County community.

"We expect everyone at our agency to act with the highest level of morals and ethics in their professional and personal lives," Talbot wrote. "When we receive information to indicate otherwise, we ensure a thorough investigation is conducted and appropriate action is taken."

County detectives on Dec. 14 arrested jail employee Kevin Kearns for allegedly making sexual comments and later uninvitingly touching his county jail male co-worker on more than one occasion.

Kearns was placed on administrative leave Dec. 6, when detectives first began investigating the accusations against him, officials said.

In Portland, former Police Bureau officer Christian Berge pleaded guilty last week to fornicating with a noise complaint victim over a two-year span when he should have been protecting and serving, according to Multnomah County Chief Deputy District Attorney Don Rees.

Bryce Kampwerth booking photo via Washington County Sheriff's Office