SHERIFF'S LIEUTENANT FILES SUIT OFFICER ALLEGES MISUSE OF FUNDS, RETALIATION.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

With the Sheriff's Department on track to spend a record $159 million for overtime this year, an officer has filed a lawsuit alleging department retaliation after he blew the whistle on a misuse of federal funds and a co-worker who falsified time sheets.

The suit by Lt. Richard Thanstrom alleges that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement funds were diverted to pay sheriff's employees to staff a Halloween ``haunted jail'' charity fundraiser two years ago and that he was told to ``mind his own business'' when he informed officials.

Woodland Hills attorney Timothy B. Sottile, who is representing Thanstrom, said he is seeking to learn whether the department used the funds to pay employees overtime to work at the site, how much was paid and whether those funds also were used to decorate the facility.

``Contract funds earmarked for the detention of undocumented aliens or other foreign nationals were diverted to fund a private, unauthorized enterprise, namely, the Sheriff's Department used the funds to staff a Halloween haunted jail,'' the suit says.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Wednesday that the department couldn't comment on the specifics of the pending lawsuit.

``We look forward to when we have our opportunity in the proper arena to tell the whole story,'' Whitmore said. ``The whole story is not being told now.''

ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said she wasn't aware at this time whether Thanstrom had filed a complaint with federal authorities about the alleged misuse of federal funds.

``Any allegations of misuse of government funds, if brought forth formally, are going to be investigated,'' Kice said.

The ``haunted jail'' drew thousand of visitors every year but was shut down in October 2004. Sheriff's officials said they were ``burned out'' by ``volunteering'' to run the event, which was organized by sheriff's personnel and Lancaster and Quartz Hill high schools' drama students.

The suit says that when Thanstrom met with Assistant Sheriff Doyle Campbell to report the information, Campbell told him to ``mind his own business.''

The suit also alleges that in 2003, Thanstrom, 40, was ``berated and belittled'' by superiors after reporting that a fellow lieutenant at the Mira Loma Detention Facility was falsifying her time sheets.

Thanstrom's suit says he filed a grievance with former Undersheriff William Stonich, who retired recently, only to learn that the undersheriff would not receive the document and that his aide had intentionally deleted it.

After meeting with Campbell - and the day after filing the grievance Feb. 2, 2004 - Thanstrom alleges his commanders gave him a downgraded performance appraisal. Thanstrom, who has worked at the Sheriff's Department since 1986, was told he had received the poor appraisal for violating department policies, a charge later found to be untrue, the suit says.

Thanstrom was then ``administratively transferred'' Feb. 8, 2004, to the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, more than 90 miles from his home, the suit says.

As a result of the retaliation, Thanstrom began to experience anxiety attacks and other health problems, and he was placed on stress-related disability April 6, 2004, the suit says.

The suit claims the retaliation were tantamount to a wrongful termination. In the lawsuit, Thanstrom is seeking an unspecified amount of damages in terms of lost wages and severe emotional and physical distress.

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com