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Internal affairs investigates allegations of internal affairs at sheriff’s department

August 9, 2010

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff officials are conducting an internal affairs investigation into a male sheriff deputy and a female jail correctional officer who are accused of sexual misconduct on the job and of filing a false report against the wife of a former San Luis Obispo police officer.

Patty Limon says that Deputy Gower Slane filed a sheriff’s report last spring claiming she had sent two threatening Facebook messages and one harassing voice message to correctional officer Jamie Elwell.

Limon, the wife of recently terminated San Luis Obispo Police officer Armando Limon, denied the allegations and filed a complaint against Slane who she said filed a false report for a colleague he had allegedly had a relationship with.

CalCoastNews interviewed multiple sheriff’s department insiders who said the investigation, which is focused primarily on sexual misconduct while on the job, is being kept under wraps. However, sources also contend that several additional, but unnamed sheriff deputies, are also being investigated for sexual misconduct while on the clock as part of the internal affairs investigation.

Regardless of whether the original report is accurate, several police officers have said that such messages, unless clearly threatening or voluminous, do not normally result in law enforcement action. At the same time, an officer is not supposed to take any action on behalf of a friend.

According to Patty Limon, deputy Slane originally refused to tell her who reported that she was making harassing phone calls, other than to say the alleged victim lived in Templeton.

Dan McDow, the other police officer who pled guilty in April to bringing misbranded pharmaceuticals over the U.S. border from Mexico, told the Limons the report was most likely filed by Jamie Elwell, his former girlfriend and also the mother of his child. McDow’s suspicions were soon confirmed

After their breakup over three years ago, Elwell and McDow continued to text and stay connected. That is when, according to Patty Limon, Elwell texted McDow to describe intimate encounters she was having, while at work, with deputy Slane.

However, after McDow started dating an old girlfriend, Elwell allegedly broke into McDow’s home and began driving by his and his girlfriend’s homes.

During their custody battle, in an affidavit Elwell admitted to entering McDow’s home without permission. She said she went into the home through a back door because McDow had failed to return one of their son’s shoes after spending time with their son. Armando Limon also provided an affidavit in which he said he had witnessed Elwell stalking McDow.

Then on May 15, 2009, McDow’s current girlfriend, Holly Hovore filed a report against Elwell with the Pismo Beach Police. Holly said Elwell called her dozens of times, sent her text messages, and would repeatedly drive by her home. On two occasions, someone vandalized Hovere’s car during the night.

Holly said she asked Elwell to stop calling or texting her, but the phone calls continued.

“I began getting nervous because she carries a gun for her profession,” Hovore said. “She hasn’t contacted me since I filed the report.”

Hovere and Limon contend that Elwell had Slane file the report to retaliate against them for the affidavits and reports they had previously filed against her.

Meanwhile, some department insiders are questioning if having San Luis Obispo Sheriff Sgt. Andy Rasmussen conduct the internal affairs investigation into the alleged false report and sexual misconduct creates a conflict of interest. Rasmussen worked with Gower Slane’s father, former department commander Greg Slane, and also attends the same church in Atascadero, sources said.

Patty Limon said Rasmussen told her and McDow he knew the messages had come from her computer. He, however, refused to take her computer to check the address after she asked him to examine it in order to clear herself.

“Rasmussen said he had to have a warrant before he could take the computer,” Patty Limon said.

In addition, Limon said Sgt. Andy Rasmussen stopped by McDow’s home on July 29, and threatened that if the sex allegations didn’t go away someone was going to have to go to jail.

“He said they were going to charge Dan (McDow) as an accessory,” Patty Limon said. “This is ridiculous.”

Rasmussen did not return requests for comment.


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“I agree that if these cops have sex on duty they should be fired.” but what the hell, they are people too, all we do is cap on them,,,,, they could someday take a cap in the ass for you!!!, In every profession there are good and bad, we need more good, in every profession, especially the legal aspect of how they take care of things like this, in the past. they have waved their magic wand,,,,,,what in the hell, is in their plan,,,, read-ably, what do you,,, think their best strategy,,,,,out of this,,,is?


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A local Sheriff’s Deputy decided he needed a warrant to take a policeman’s computer, but didn’t need a warrant to take a guys keys off his belt, enter his house and confiscate 8 registered firearms,

all the while commening on how he needed to “flower up the language to get the Judge to buy it”. And if that isn’t enough, the Deputy lusted out loud about how he wanted the guys armament!


I say this is a bunch of B_LL SH_T. This smells like Furhman and Serpico. Fire them all. No warrants neccessary.


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Me and my wife have had dealings with the Templeton sheriff department. These have not been good. Our neighbor have reported fradulant reports and accusted my husband of items that he did not do. We had to get an attorney since our neighbor and the Templeton sheriff department were in on it and there was a tape of this and all. If you would like to help or would like more information please call me. I have more than just this comment. 226-9868


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What ever happened to Deputy Darren Murphy and that revealing video? Swept under the rug perhaps? Conveniently forgotten? These sex triads are of little interest. They will suffer their own fate.


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“Are you “adults” serious, thinking those are “threats?” Yes.


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I’ve heard that Matt Hart with the help of calguns is bringing a law suit against the county for violation of his civil rights and a few other things. They will most likely attempt to settle it behind closed doors. Lets make sure CalCoastNews tells us all about it when it happens. We know the Tribune won’t.


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I notice that Parkinson’s wife doesn’t use his last name. Is she just hanging in there until he supposedly gets elected as to have more alimony? Talk about a soap opera. Seriously, sleeping with a subordinate doesn’t bode well with voters. After this fiasco at the Sheriffs office who wants a man that is doing the same thing at SLOPD to be running the Sheriff’s Department?. People this is still a small town. I for one am changing my vote to Cortez. I am disgusted by the revelation of Parkinson. I am also disgusted about the debauchery and sex filled romps which is being supported by my TAX DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds to me like the insane are running the asylum.


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First off ,Thanks for the best laugh I had all day:)These people should all be on the Jerry Springer show,NOT in Law Enforcement!Geez,lord help us all if these are the people we are supposed to call if we need help!Be afraid,be very, very afraid!


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Jamie Elwell may be a troubler starter, but I myself have received threatening messages from Mrs. Limon. That woman is a loose canon. The easiest way to deal with this, and the way it would be dealt with in the public sector, is to fire EVERYONE involved… problem solved!


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Man, this story is crazy! I want to know what the sheriff’s department’s position is on all this. They seem to be awfully quiet. It is because they are all scrambling to cover their butts because they know they’ve allowed this kind of thing to go on under their roof for a long time, without doing a thing to stop it? I’ve heard about all the crazy in-breeding that goes on over there, so I’m sure they’re afraid that if they make an example of this Elwell and Slane thing, it’ll open them up to having to look into all of the affairs going on in the department, and I’m sure the higher-ups don’t want that. I’m guessing the higher-ups even have their own skeletons that they want to keep in the closet.

Has anyone heard whether or not Rasmussen is still the investigator? That is just crazy that he’d be in charge of looking into misconduct involving one of his old friends, and obviously someone who has personal ties through their church.

If I were Dan McDow or Patty Limon or whoever else is kicking up dust and forcing these secrets to be pushed out into the open, I would probably be nervous right about now. Who’s to say this Old Boy’s club won’t try to get revenge on them for trying to defend themselves against this harrassment and daring to expose the shady reasons behind it! I can’t believe Rasmussen would tell them that they’re going to be charged or go to jail for trying to defend themselves against some of his buddies.

This is really not what we are paying our law enforcement for. Aren’t they supposed to protect the citizens?


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Does that first sentence come with a “no pun intended” lol


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No new J.C.vs I.P. comments, plenty to reply to below, on topic please.


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Well it just keeps getting better and better! I can’t wait for “little Joe” to get elected and begin cleaning up. Of course that won’t be until he finishes fighting with his management and supervisory staff. It seems they don’t like being painted as a bunch of incompetants. These are the some of the same people who worked for the sheriff’s department when Ed Williams was sheriff and I don’t hear anybody saying things were f##ked up back then. And these people also don’t respond well to threats, so “little Joe” needs to be careful where he runs his mouth; Some of us have lived here a long time, longer than “little Joe” and we have lots of friends who write things down, like what “little Joe” said and who else was present.

Many of the problems will be fixed when Sheriff Hedges leaves office; then the good people who have been there for 20+ years can start fixing things, of course if the next sheriff is the guy who keeps telling them how messed up they are, they may just sit on their hands and let the new sheriff fall flat on his face.


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You sound a little nervous Gordo … plus your constant use of the word little paint you in a shade of childish arrogance


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Gordo — some of your blog has a threatening tone to it. It also sounds like you and the upper management people may not like being held accountable when Chief Cortez becomes the next Sheriff. And if your source of information comes from the response Chief Cortez wrote about the 2008 shots fired incident, then I’d suggest you read it again. Under his leadership, he will hold people accountable (ouch there is that word again). Your blog also tells me the SLOSO doesn’t want change. So Parkinson is your boy. Well the voting public may not agree with you Gordo. We want a Sheriff’s Department that is (here’s that word again) held accountable for their actions, on and off duty. Chief Cortez gets my vote.


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accountnumber, I have to admit that I also felt that Gordo’s post had a threatening tone and haven’t felt that I wanted to respond to it yet. Are we really that deep in the GOB stinky outhouse pit? I really felt that I was reading a threat immediately and I’m not trying to dramatize anything here. It’s scary. Just how deep in all this poop are we all?


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You are all sure right that the sheriff’s department needs some accountability. I personally don’t agree with an organization that only answers to one entity…especially when that entity can be corrupted. We need to clean house, and we need to get someone in there who can actually lead with some impartiality and be by-the-book. It cannot be emotional, the way the department is currently being run. (Family friends leading investigations? Seriously?)

I guarantee then we wouldn’t have all of these deputies and jail guards getting away with the CRIMES that they have been allowed to commit while still pocketing their bloated paychecks with guns on their hips. I agree that Cortez may be the man to do this, but I gotta say…I’m not holding my breath until I actually see some real change and some housecleaning in that broken organization. Start by firing Jamie Elwell and Gower Slane. That would show us that they’re no longer tolerating corruption.


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Are you “adults” serious, thinking those are “threats?” Wow, are you scared to leave your houses every day too?


“And these people also don’t respond well to threats, so “little Joe” needs to be careful where he runs his mouth; Some of us have lived here a long time, longer than “little Joe” and we have lots of friends who write things down, like what “little Joe” said and who else was present.”


Sounds like to me this person is hinting that there will be slander/libel civil suits and he may have to answer in a court of civil law for running his suck in public so often. Tha’ts why he said, “write things down and who was present” later for lawsuits and witnesses.


BOOOOOO! Oh don’t jump so much, it was just your own shadow.


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VOA- You have also laid down posts that appeared threatening rather than just saying what you have to say. In fact as I recall many of your posts were deleted for alluding to something other than disclosing facts. If you and Gordo have something to say, then say it. We await your “running of the mouth”, until then SHUT UP with the open ended threats.


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How does my post work for ya? No threats.


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Bunch of thugs, even your handle is confrontational, it’s sure not in the dictionary, unless YOU are Napoleon. VIOLENCEOFACTION why don’t you beat it down to south central and try your feeble hand at being a real cop.


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You’ve got a point there Chese. I have to laugh at the cop who say’s they can’t get fired. Nothing like pissing off the public. Fact is that he can get fired. Mr smart ass might want to take another look at SSC’s post :


“The new Sheriff should promptly address the Civil Service Commission and seek their assistance in supporting his vision of cleaning up the department. The Commission is in fact the civilian review board who are selected by each board of supervisors member without input from the Sheriff. The commission is lawfully sanctioned and simply underutilized because the current Sheriff imposed many legal roadblocks while the county was investigating him.

Our new Sheriff also need to wake up the Grand Jury. They have the legal capability and the obligation to conduct oversight of government operations but have been dormant for many years. They have the power and authority to further hold employees accountable and are capable of conducting investigations and closed door hearings in the process.

Rest assured that people will continue to occasionally stumble regardless of who is running the Sheriff’s Department. But, with a leader imposing discipline and terminating employees who can’t follow the rules, the department can turn around and regain the respect of the community using the tools that are already in place.”


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Thanks and to wake up the grand jury,”power and authority to further hold employees accountable and are capable of conducting investigations and closed door hearings in the process.” , the Gearhart/ Hurst/ Stewart Title didn’t wake up the grand jury yet, I figure they are a sleep at the wheel. People are tweaking out on this site.


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Let me try and help you out Gordo. I’ll try not to be threatening to these sensitive people.


Think of it this way. If you go to DMV would you rather deal with a clerk that is happy because they have a good boss that is respectful with great leadership skills and the ability to make a decision or one that is angry because they hate their boss? (Sorry for the runon you grammar critics)


The difference between Parkinson and Cortez is no different then the above example. Next time you see a Deputy ask them if Cortez has ever approached them and introduced himself. Find out if Cortez has ever asked a Deputy what changes he could make to help them do their job more professionally. You are not going to find many. In fact, several Deputies have told me that Cortez just stares them down when they are in public or just gives the sarcastic head nod. He doesn’t take the time to find out their names or their concerns. You can’t ask Strobridge, his son or son-in-law either. They don’t count.


Don’t any of you find it amazing that the law enforcement leaders in this County overwhelmingly endorse Parkinson. Cortez’s own protege doesn’t support him. A lot of the chamber members in Pismo don’t support him and he’s a member.


There is no way that Cortez can go into the Sheriff’s Department and “cleanhouse.” It is just not possible. The Police Officers Bill of Rights protects everyone but the Under Sheriff. Cortez will just find himself in court defending lawsuits and paying out more taxpayer money. He knows he can’t just go in and fire people. He is selling you all bad promises and making the people that work there mad at him. Therefore, he’s not going to get anything done. Those people aren’t going anywhere. Several will probably just stick around to mess with Cortez. They know he can’t touch them. As long as they show up everyday and do the minimum, they collect a paycheck. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, I’m just sayin.


With that said, would you rather have a Sheriff with good communication and leadership skills like Parkinson or someone like “little joe” with short mans ego?


Oh, and Dave, do you ever get tired of being wrong?


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Get your facts right. I know that Cortez has spoken to deputies. It is also public record that the AG chief, Grover chief, Morro Bay chief, AND the PB Police Officer Association are behind Joe. One of the PB commandar’s support Chief Cortez, all but one of his city council supports him along with the AG mayor. I could continue the list but it is lengthy. So there is not an “overwhelming supoort from law enforcement officers in this county for Parkinson”. It is Cortez that has the support of those that truely want to see some positive changes made. We do not want someone who is bought by others put into office where things will remain the same or deteriorate. The sheriff’s dept needs a leader, not a buddy or pal. Not someone who owes many for buying his way into office.


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Your list can’t go on because you’ve named them all. That’s it. You’re done. I’m law enforcment. I’ve given money to Parkinson. I don’t see how he owes me anything. If he gets elected it does not benefit me in any way. Being his friend will not benefit my career. I don’t work for the SO or SLOPD. Parkinson or Cortez will never be my boss. I do rely on the SO to do my job effectively. All law enforcement in the county relies on them as a resource. We need a good leader that will work well with everyone. Not little joes ego.


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This is low of you, even for law enforcement,”Not little joes ego.” Names, should be capitalized by the way, and please don’t let your ego influence your job performance, our lives depend on it.


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“Officers Bill of Rights protects everyone but the Under Sheriff.” Hell, is this why he bought it with the drunk driving???,.. Everyone else would have protection? How’s his case going by the way plenty of payed leave and unsupervised probation for a fellow county servant, ah what it must be like!


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There weren’t too many safe avenues to publicly complain about the SLOSD prior to the Internet and CalCoastNews.com


Any scumbag that would even contemplate sitting on their hands should be canned from the get-go. The SLOSD is a cesspit that needs to be drained…


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“Ed Williams was sheriff and I don’t hear anybody saying things were f##ked up back then.” well they were and they still are, your attitude is the tree is still here maybe?


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whocaresanyway, I think the issue at hand isn’t that “cheating happens everywhere”, the issue is that A) It’s happening ON TAX PAYER dollars and B)The SAME person is involved in multiple cases of it and C)The same person has other admittedly “unstable” behaviors and is paid to possess a firearm. Although I agree with slojo about it “taking two to tango” in regards to all parties need to be ashamed of themselves , I just find it interesting that the same woman has had two confirmed affairs ON-DUTY (And a rumored two additional). My real question is how are these people sleeping at night? How can we trust guys who can betray and lie to their own families and expect them to be honest to the public?


Gower needs to stop with the locker room denials because he doesn’t realize he’s already been sold up river by other “involved parties” regardless of what they’re telling him , but hey I can see with a career and a family on the line what might push someone to lie and deny at all costs….thats an expensive price to pay for high integrity.


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I wonder who would be in the north division locker room, as well as have inside information about an IA. Since Sheriff’s SGT Dale Strobridge represents COs still, in IAs, he may be privy to that inside information. He has long be “the source” for Karen. Now who works at the north division and may be close to Dale? I can think of two people. I wonder which you are Headlights.


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