Defiant Sheriff: "I'm Not Going to Resign"

One day after being told to resign by the union of deputy sheriffs, Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton struck a defiant tone, telling people he will not resign.

"I'm not going to resign until somebody tells me that I have done something wrong," he told reporters.

Staton has been under increasing pressure to step aside.

In addition to the call from the union, the state attorney general's office is looking into whether he broke the law by investigating the backgrounds of members of the committee considering whether to make his position an appointed one.

Currently, the sheriff is elected.

The investigation, which was requested by Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill and Multnomah County Commission Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury.

They also asked the Attorney General to investigate whether Staton created a hostile work environment and retaliated against one of his chief deputies.

Last week, Staton had lunch with former Portland Police Chief Mike Reese and asked him to replace him if he had to leave office.

"I told him I would," Reese told Patch.