An Oregon State Police detective has been suspended without pay following an accusation that he engaged in sexual activity with a prostitute in public.
Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report Tuesday afternoon of a man and a woman engaged in a sex act in the bushes off Southeast Johnson Creek Boulevard near Southeast 77th Court in Milwaukie. Upon arriving at the scene, police identified the man as Richard Narvaez, a 50-year-old OSP detective in the tribal gaming section in Salem.
Narvaez, who has worked for the OSP for 23 years, was on duty but not in uniform at the time of the alleged incident. He was immediately suspended without pay and has been charged with patronizing a prostitute and public indecency, according to a report from the sheriff's office.
Police arrested the woman, 32-year-old Tiffany Denise Smith from Portland, on outstanding probation violation warrants and accusations of public indecency and prostitution.
OSP Superintendent Richard Evans released a statement on the situation Wednesday.
"This is troubling news when we learn that one of our employees is alleged to commit any crime," Evans said. "This obviously is a rare incident and should no way reflect on our other employees who do things right and don't step outside of our laws and rules of ethics. We appreciate the quick response by the sheriff's office and will conduct our personnel investigation as their criminal investigation continues and the matter is adjudicated in court."
The Sheriff's Office and the OSP have declined to comment further on the situation as an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
-- Justin Runquist