Second investigation report into conduct by election official Clint Curtis is released by Shasta County
The report includes accounts of interviews with witnesses after an early-April incident that involved a threat to have a staffer pulled out of their office by their hair. The report substantiated that account and other threats of violence, along with verbal abuse and retaliation. Curtis has denied the findings and will hold a press conference Thursday.
Slapping, throat punching and hair pulling are the physical threats listed in a second investigation report into allegations of abusive conduct by Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis.
The heavily redacted report, which was released yesterday, includes findings that Curtis has physically threatened, verbally abused and retaliated against staff in the course of his work over the last two months at the Shasta County Elections Office.
Curtis categorically denied all findings during a statement to county supervisors on April 28. This morning, he responded to a request for comment by saying that he plans to give “the other side of the story” on Thursday at 6 p.m. during a press conference outside the elections office.
Yesterday’s investigation report is the second that’s been released by the county over the last month. The first report shared findings of an investigation that began in August 2025 and was conducted by Oppenheimer Investigations Group. That report substantiated findings that Curtis had engaged in both retaliation and verbal abuse against staff.
A second investigation was launched in early April and conducted internally by Shasta County’s Support Services Department. The second report substantiated findings of threats of violence, verbal abuse and relation.
The county’s internal investigation began after a report of a threat of physical violence that was made just one day after findings from the first investigation report were shared with Curtis. Those findings were shared on March 26, the most recent report says.
On March 27, a staffer reported via the county’s whistleblower system that Curtis had threatened to pull someone out of their office by their hair. The submission was received by the county auditor’s office and was forwarded to county personnel by Auditor Nolda Short on April 7. In an email to Support Services Director Monica Fugitt, Short said she was forwarding the allegation quickly due to the severity of the allegation.
Details included in the newly-released investigation report indicate that Curtis had requested an election staffer to run a report to provide contact information for community members who voted in person at the polls during the last election. The staffer delayed in running the report during which time the threat of hair pulling occurred, according to multiple witness statements.
Fugitt’s report substantiates a finding that Curtis made the physical threat, along with another finding that the threat appeared to be an act of workplace retaliation related to the first investigation.
Her report also documents that Curtis threatened to slap, punch and “throat punch” staffers, writing that witnesses believe he was unlikely to follow through on the threats. Fugitt’s analysis concluded that Curtis “makes these types of comments generally when he is frustrated or not getting something he needs.”
Verbal abuse against staff was also substantiated in the second report. While the first report had already substantiated similar findings, the second report indicates that there had been instances of this conduct since the findings from the first report were released to Curtis.
Exhibits included in the report include dozens of pages of email and teams communications, some of which reveal ongoing tension at the office between Curtis and election staff, at times over concerns about the legality of sharing personal information about voters.
Fugitt wrote that while Curtis has expressed his belief that some staff have engaged in delays as a way of trying to “sabotage” him, any unprofessional behavior by staff should result in him implementing professional supervision and would not give license to abusive conduct.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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When do the verbal threats, made by a supervisor, reach the level of Assault? Isn’t it time for the employees to file a criminal complaint?
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the employees who have stayed there and done their jobs through all of this.
I know county counsel is compromised but where is Risk Management? This report put the county on notice. Their refusal to cure the problem by following HR recommendations increases the liability. That makes a legal claim a slam dunk. Brace yourselves. Big legal bills incoming. The legal claims when they come should all be called Crye settlements. Because this entire disgusting mess is caused directly by him. First order of business when we get new leadership is take any and all steps necessary to make sure this flamethrower level of destruction can never happen to our county again.
Risk Management doesn’t make decisions about the big claims. County Counsel and BOS have the final say.
I wonder how much our insurance premiums have increased over the past 5 years?
This is a tragic state of affairs. That one should need to hear of some poor behavior is unthinkable from a person in any position of authority. This is absurd. CLearly he has done this before and will continue to do so.
Threats from a man to a woman are always serious, in the workplace even more so. They cannot be laughed off. Repeated threats against several other people increase the danger. As an attorney, Curtis should know this yet he acts this way and then threatens to sue if some-one complains. Something is wrong with this guy. Has he ever admitted that maybe he gets carried away and is sorry? He needs help and his staff needs protection. The Administration, not the Board, has realized this and finally has taken some steps to restore civil behavior. Curtis is nuts.
Yeah, we can blame Crye to start. He’s the one who brought Curtis to Shasat County, most likey with Mr. Pillow’s help, and really, with the support of Crye, Kelstorm, and Corky The Wolfman, this conspiracy-based clown, with no knowledge about what he’s doing or done, has set up his Three Ring Circus of Chaos and lies, featuring far-right conspiracist losers Laura Hobbs and Patric Jones, Patty Plum, and poor Carnie Barker Brunt Trurner, at the request of Crye, Kelstorm and Corky.
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Crye, Kelstorm, and Corky and their Three Ring Circus of Chaos won’t be happy until Shasta County has been driven socially and economically into the ground. And with their clearly illegal Measure B, that just might happen sooner than we think.
Employees within the Shasta County elections office who believe they have been subjected to sustained patterns of intimidation, retaliation, hostile workplace conduct, or administrative abuse SHOULD CAREFULLY EVALUATE WHETHER THE FACTUAL CIRCUMSTANCES SUPPORT COLLECTIVE LEGAL REMEDIES UNDER CALIFORNIA EMPLOYMENT LAW.
Where multiple employees experience substantially similar conduct arising from common managerial practices or supervisory behavior, potential claims could implicate theories involving hostile work environment, retaliation, negligent supervision, failure to prevent harassment or abusive conduct, and violations of workplace safety obligations. The existence of publicly released investigative reports containing substantiated findings may significantly strengthen the evidentiary foundation for affected personnel seeking legal counsel regarding possible coordinated action.
IF THE UNDERLYING FACTS DEMONSTRATE COMMONALITY OF CLAIMS, SHARED DAMAGES, AND SYSTEMIC WORKPLACE PRACTICES AFFECTING MULTIPLE EMPLOYEES, COUNSEL MAY EVALUATE WHETHER A CLASS-ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION FRAMEWORK IS LEGALLY APPROPRIATE.
Employees should preserve documentation, internal communications, witness information, personnel records, and any evidence relevant to adverse employment actions or retaliatory treatment. Consultation with experienced labor and employment attorneys would be essential to determine whether the circumstances satisfy procedural thresholds under California civil procedure and employment statutes.
And the County Board of Supervisors, having been notified of such conduct and having failed to address the situation, should also be in the cross hairs of legal remedy.
Wouldn’t it be great if no one were to show up at Curtis’s self-promoted press conference? “Man yells at clouds…”
Let’s see. Press conference: everything is a lie. His office runs smoothly. He neither threatens or abuses anyone nor raises his voice. He’s hard of hearing. It is all based on testimony from people who aren’t “his people” (wrong! clearly his people did testify). It is all lies from people who worked for the last ROV (Joanna, though he won’t name her and who wasn’t the last ROV) who allowed all kinds of fraud (unsaid…the he never found). Those people (not his) are working to sabotage him and “his staff” by not teaching them and disrupting the smooth running of his office. He’s suing everyone including some of his current staff or anyone in his office who lied and the Board of Supervisors including those who hired him. He will run a smooth nonpartisan election in June (even though it is likely he’ll loose).
Does he need a press conference. Did I miss anything?
We are lucky to have leaders committed to upholding rights of all citizens to exercise their voices and views. These quality leaders are elected or appointed due to their history of excellence in providing public service, transparency of services, performance of duties free of political bias and displaying basic human decency with respect for all.
Sarcasm?
Might as well just hand him a shovel.
and yet Crye, Kelstrom and Harmon did not suspend him, HR did not fire him. County employees deserve better work environments to do their work in. Labor laws and Unions exist to protect employees from this kind of deranged behavior from their bosses! I read repulsive comments like the one where Crye says and I quite: it’s just Clint being Clint?????? What the hell you don’t get a free pass from harassing employees because Kevin Crye engaged in the same type of employee management! Employees must feel safe and protected while at work , these employees feel neither! The lawsuits will be staggering !
I have no love for Curtis, but the board cannot suspend him and HR cannot fire him. He’s got quite a bit of independence as a county elected official, even if he was appointed to the job. Up to the voters to make a change, which I think they will do.
I wish the board had the power to suspend or fire him but they don’t. He is not an employee. Appointment essentially made him an elected official. On the other hand, if a Grand Jury investigation concluded he broke the law, that could open the door for removal. The quickest way to get rid of him is vote him out of office June 2nd by a landslide, then he might take a hint and quit. Otherwise, we are stuck with him until January, 2027. If he were to resign, the board would have a third opportunity to appoint the person who should have been appointed in the first place, Joanna Francescut.
You know one would think that after 17 years in the elections office Joanna would have learned how to run an election but she had locked doors and bars up to inhibit observation.
He can’t be fired unless there is a criminal judgment. It’s possible, but the county will never take him to court; it would have to be a citizen. Heck, they won’t even censor him because he’s a Trumpian MAGA man…. Kinda like Crye…
That decision to install bars was made by Risk Management, not CDA or Tom Toller. The rabid election deniers were trying to trespass into secure areas, a couple of them even entering through alleyway as ballot boxes were being delivered and one even bringing a gun into election office. You must have been choking on your toothpick when that was discussed.
Those who continue to support this stupid, incompetent, lying, abusive rage-aholic carpetbagger from Florida are objectively bad people. It’s a reasonable hypothesis they’re overwhelmingly the same people who stuck with Temu Hitler when he bragged about committing sexual assault. They stick with him even now that he refuses to release all of the Epstein files—little wonder after it was revealed by the NY Times that he’s mentioned more than 38,000 times, more than any other individual in the files (more times than God is mentioned in the Bible).
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The shared moral compass of these damaged MAGA degenerates points in just one direction: Absolute fealty to Orange Jesus, M.D., and undying loyalty to their Christo-fascist MAGA tribe.
Well said…