This letter addresses recent reporting by the Chinook Observer concerning the resignation of Doctor MaryAnne Murray from providing psychiatric services in the Pacific County Jail. We are writing to express our concern over the inaccuracies and misleading information presented in your publication.

Specifically, claims are being inferred that are inaccurate, and before this was printed, Dr. Murray, Dr. Cundiff, nor PCSO were contacted for any kind of input.

MaryAnn’s public comment at the Town Hall meeting held on 12/23/24 at the Pacific County Admin Building in Long Beach stated, “I am the person who wrote the resignation letter that is being circulated on social media, and I am standing here to tell you that is not properly used to defame this administration, and I am unhappy about that because the issues that I cited in that letter are not under the control of Sheriff Garcia or Commander Parker and I personally made an error in not taking my issues directly to them and following the chain of command. So, I apologize publicly for that, and I trust you will accept that apology (to PCSO)”.

Furthermore, Dr. Murray stated, “I have been in that jail a bunch of times, and I have experienced the jail deputies being very caring and concerned about the inmates as well as the other staff members. I have not incurred anyone there that is sadistic about it, for which I am very grateful. It seems like the jail has been the bastard step child in Pacific County. Inadequately funded, inadequately staffed, and while trying to do the K Mart version of custody when something more is required ethically and morally it’s gotta be better, that can’t be done with no funding at all, and we have heard in this meeting what the staffing issues have been and funding for staffing. It’s not going to be cheap, but what we’ve got now with hard-working people it’s not cheap and it’s not safe in a whole bunch of respects so as a people we need to find a way to fund real services within the jail, safety for the deputies that all want to go home at the end of their shift and be with their families. We want to be able to trust that our brothers, sisters, sons, daughters etc. are incarcerated in that jail that they come home safely as well and preferably hooked up with the appropriate community services so they don’t have to come back. It has been my privilege and pleasure to work with the jail mental health liaison to work out some plans for people so that they have appropriate services within the community, and sometimes that works great and sometimes the judge just says no way, but progress is being made. I need to say that, and I am hoping that we will continue on a forward trajectory, and I am grateful for the team that has come together here. Please do not take that letter circulating as my damning this administration because it is not that. It absolutely is not that, and the issues that I mentioned are beyond the control of the people here in this room”.

Dr. Murray also expressed to PCSO that she was not a whistleblower and resents being referred to as such.

These claims are not supported by the content of Dr. Murray’s resignation letter or any other evidence available to the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office.

The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office is committed to transparency and accuracy.

HOLLIE BILLECI

Chief Civil Deputy

Pacific County Sheriff’s Office