Portland Police officers from the North Precinct were dispatched to a hardware store located in the 1700 block of North Tomahawk Island Drive after reports of suspicious activity. Upon arrival, they met with loss prevention staff who had detained a suspect, identified as Leonel Sandoval, a 55-year-old resident of Scappoose, Oregon. Notably, Sandoval was wearing his Multnomah County employee uniform and had arrived at the store in a county-issued vehicle.
Initial investigations conducted by both store employees and responding officers revealed that Sandoval had selected flooring products valued at $785.85. He then bypassed all points of sale and attempted to return the items without having purchased them.
As a result of these actions, Sandoval was taken into custody and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Theft in the Second Degree and Official Misconduct in the Second Degree. The incident has been assigned the case number 25-220373.
Additionally, officers from the Portland Police Bureau notified Multnomah County officials about the situation, prompting a supervisor to retrieve the county vehicle involved in the incident. The case has raised concerns regarding ethical conduct among public employees and will likely prompt further investigation into Sandoval’s actions while on duty.
This case may lead to further inquiries not only into Sandoval’s actions but also into potential systemic issues within the county’s oversight of employee conduct, especially those who have access to public resources and vehicles. Such incidents often prompt agencies to review their policies regarding employee behavior, especially when it comes to the use of county property and adherence to ethical standards.
