Wasco Co. officials support sheriff’s refusal to rehire employee fired for ‘Hitler interplay’

An investigation reported by the Oregonian shows Shawn C. Sorensen admitted to saluting a German-born colleague, Marco Beitl, with the Nazi “Heil Hitler” gesture while at work, sometimes saying “Mein Fuhrer.” Beitl reportedly put his finger over his lip imitating a Hitler moustache and said his dog’s first grooming made him look like he was wearing a Jewish head covering (kippah.)

Sorensen also confirmed other probation officers’ complaints that he had exhibited “sexual and flirtatious” behavior at the office. Both Sorensen and Beitl were put on administrative leave in 2023 and fired in 2024 after the sheriff’s office investigated a number of complaints made to human resources.

While Sorensen admitted to knowingly performing the Nazi salute, Beitl told the Oregonian “What they said I was doing, I didn’t do.”

On March 27, state arbitrator Dorothy C. Foley ordered the sheriff’s office to restore Sorenson to his role, with back pay and benefits, saying that Sorensen’s firing was “extreme.”

In an unusual response to arbitrator rulings, Magill said he will not rehire Sorensen, and several county officials told Columbia Gorge News they support his decision.

“Sheriff Magill was elected by the citizens of Wasco County, and I stand by his decisions on how to handle this situation moving forward,” Commission Chair Scott Hege said in an email.

Public Information Officer Stephanie Krell told Columbia Gorge News that the commissioners speak for the county on this matter, meaning Magill has the county’s support if Sorensen files an Unfair Labor Practice complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.

District Attorney Kara Davis emphasized that Sorensen’s knowing breach of his duty of conduct has permanently damaged the county’s ability to trust him with the task of rehabilitating probationers.

“These are people that we’re trying to reform back into society,” Davis said. She noted that a Nazi salute is precisely the kind of behavior a probationer wouldn’t get away with.

“He was doing it in the office where probationers could walk in on him, and many of our probationers are people of color,” she said. “That’s just not really acceptable behavior in any county workplace.”

“The ‘Heil Hitler’ salute is an unequivocally offensive symbol of racism and hatred,” said Martha Verduzco, organizer and director for the Immigrant Help Center in Hood River in a statement from the Rural Organizing Project. “It raises serious concerns about Sorensen’s capacity to objectively assess the behavior of those under probation. We believe his reinstatement would be deeply detrimental to our community of people of color, and we advocate against it.”

Columbia Gorge News reached out to Sorensen and Beitl, but did not receive a reply at the time this article was printed.

City leadership voices additional support for sheriff

Several members of city leadership in The Dalles, while operating separate government entities from the county, also expressed support for Magill’s stance and spoke out against racial bias.

“Since I haven’t [had]access to any reports or the arbitrator’s decision, I won’t give an opinion as to whether Mr. Sorenson should be reinstated,” The Dalles Mayor Richard Mays said. “I will say that I wholeheartedly support Sheriff Magill’s intolerance for anti-semitic behavior in the workplace.”

The Dalles City Councilor Dan Richardson emphasized the standard of conduct for public office.

“Sheriff Magill is 100% correct in upholding a clear standard of professionalism. ‘Playing Nazi’ is, in my view, conduct unbecoming not just sworn peace officers or public employees, but all decent people. Some behavior is just not acceptable — certainly not ever by people in positions of power over others. I appreciate Sheriff Magill’s clarity and resolve in doing the right thing,” Richardson said.

Councilor Scott Randall said he is confident in the sheriff’s and county’s ability to resolve this in a fair and transparent manner.

Sorensen pursued getting his job back with the support of the Federation of Oregon Parole and Probation Officers, according to the Oregonian. The union provided a lawyer, Seth Davis, who argued before the arbitrator that the culture within the sheriff’s office was “loose,” and Sorensen’s actions were only meant to be a joke.

In the arbitrator’s final statements, Foley said the sheriff’s office did not show Sorensen was inherently biased or had targeted specific individuals with his behavior. She called his behavior, “more appropriate for a high school cafeteria at lunchtime than a workplace” and said Sorensen should have received a written reprimand instead of being fired.

“This isn’t/wasn’t a joke and is very offensive,” Magill told Columbia Gorge News.

He believes Sorensen’s actions constitute a Title VII violation, meaning the Nazi salutes were direct acts of racial discrimination and created a hostile work environment.

“In my opinion this clearly shows racist tendencies as well as hate towards Jewish individuals as well as the nation [of] Israel,” he said.

Magill believes reinstating Sorensen would not only damage public trust in the sheriff’s office, but it would also negatively impact the staff.

“Our staff is highly professional, so for our office to take a lesser stance on this type of behavior is unacceptable. They do not deserve to observe or be subject to such standards and nor will I allow them to be subject to this type of behavior,” he said.

Columbia Gorge News asked Magill about Sorensen’s admitted sexual and flirtatious behavior with other probation officers, and how the sheriff’s office safeguards against sexual harassment. He confirmed Sorensen had engaged in these behaviors, noting the sheriff’s office implements protocols against sexual harassment. He added that both the sheriff’s office and the county require sexual harassment training.

Rehiring Sorensen after his behavioral misconduct could have implications for court cases where a probation officer may be called as a witness for the prosecution.

Davis maintains that if Sorensen were to be rehired, his record of questionable judgment could be used against the county in any case he might be called upon to testify as a fact witness.

Under Brady v. Maryland, prosecutors have a duty to disclose to the defense any evidence that might impeach a witness. This means if Sorensen were to be reinstated, any case relying upon his testimony could be weakened if the defense brought up his previous lack of judgment.

“This is clearly something a defense attorney could use to impeach,” Davis told Columbia Gorge News. “They could raise issues implying that maybe he’s biased.”

Unlike the typical witness in a criminal case, the type of testimony probation officers give in court relies on that officer’s judgment about how a person may or may not conform to the parameters of their probation.

“They’re testifying to their belief on how well they believe the person’s doing, which is inherently subjective, right?” Davis said. “It’s very much a lot of subjective reasoning about your belief of the person’s ability to succeed in the future, which is, again, inherently judgment based, and that’s why his judgment is so important for our ability to be able to use him.”