Chris Kaber leads the race for Klamath County Sheriff by 34 points.
Kaber served on the Oregon State Police from 1987 to 2013. Since then he has worked as a polygraph examiner and private investigator, according to campaign filings.
Early returns had Kaber with 66 percent of the vote, versus 32 percent for Steve Lewis, a Patrol Sergeant with the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office.
Lewis stopped actively campaigning in September, effectively conceding the race to Kaber before a vote. While Lewis did not actually drop out of the race, he issued a press release saying he would support Kaber, and that “this is not the time to battle each other or cause further divide in the office or the community.”
The KCSO has been beleaguered by conflict and scandal for more than a year. There is a criminal case and a civil complaint pending against outgoing Klamath County Sheriff Frank Skrah for excessive force.
