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A ceremony marking the closure of the Military Department's Army National Guard armory in Cottage Grove in 2010.

(Thomas Boyd / The Oregonian)

At least twice in the last two years, Oregon's Military Department has had to defend itself in court against charges department officials sexually harassed female employees.

In addition, seven women employees have filed sexual harassment or discrimination complaints against the agency with Oregon's

since the beginning of 1999, although the bureau closed three of the cases after finding "no substantial evidence."

On May 31, the Military Department's deputy director, Mike Caldwell,

following a complaint that he drank heavily and harassed a subordinate at a conference in Hood River. The subordinate, whose name has not been released, did not press charges.

When asked if the Military Department has a culture that tolerates sexual harassment, chief spokesman Capt. Stephen Bomar replied: "That is absolutely ludicrous. Does sexual harassment occur? Unfortunately yes. However, if a situation arises it is most certainly dealt with at all levels."

Nationally, sexual harassment in the military has become a primary subject for top military leaders and elected officials. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last month called the problem

Vietnam veteran Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said this month

" to the idea of women entering the military. A Senate Armed Services subcommittee this week passed a bill that would take military commanders out of the process to decide which serious crimes, including sexual misconduct, could go to trial. That amendment was removed later, but the conversation about changing the way the military handles sexual assault and harassment continues. The House added some strong language about sexual assault in the authorization it passed Friday.

Portland lawyer

, who has represented plaintiffs in sexual harassment cases, said the Military Department tally -- seven Bureau of Labor and Industries complaints in 14 years -- "seems like a relatively low number." And Charlie Burr, communication director for the Bureau of Labor and Industries, agreed that other agencies have higher rates of complaints. The bureau's internal tally, for example, found more sexual harassment complaints in the state Transportation Department, and far more in the Department of Corrections.

Oregon's

is the state agency that oversees the Oregon Army and Air National Guard, numerous installations around the state and the Office of Emergency Management, which coordinates responses to emergencies. It has 516 full- and part-time employees -- many of them civilians. The agency is funded mostly by federal money, supplemented by state funds and income from some operations, such as rental of its armories.

In one of the two Oregon Military Department cases that entered the court system, Corina Evans, a former production controller, sued the Military Department in Clackamas County in 2011. She said she complained of sexual harassment after a coworker bumped into her in a "sexually offensive" way and remarked upon it in a way that caused her to believe it was intentional. When she complained, she was reprimanded for making a false statement -- a response she said was retaliatory.

The Military Department acknowledged she complained, but denied her other allegations. The case was settled before it went for trial, although the settlement amount was not disclosed in the court file. She had sought $1,350,000 and the state offered to settle for $7,500. Her lawyer said he couldn't discuss the case.

In the other case, Amber Peterson, a "group life coordinator" in the Military Department's Youth Challenge Program in Bend said she was forced to quit her job because her supervisor sought a romantic relationship and made unwelcome remarks about her appearance. Peterson, who was married and nursing a child, said the supervisor, Lawrence DeMarr, also imposed "onerous conditions" related to her expression of breast milk at work.

In its response, the Military Department said Peterson was too late to file her claim and added that she "struggled to re-adapt to the work environment" after returning from maternity leave. That case, filed last August, is scheduled for trial in Deschutes County Circuit Court in January, said one of Peterson's attorneys,

of Bend. Peterson seeks $850,000 in damages.

Both cases started as civil rights complaints to the Bureau of Labor and Industries, according to the bureau's records. They are among seven complaints alleging sexual harassment or discrimination by the Military Department since 1999, said Burr, the bureau spokesman. Three of those were closed following bureau investigations that found "no substantial evidence," he said.

In one of the cases, Tina Bigelow, an office specialist complained in 2008 that she had been subjected to unwelcome sexual comments from her supervisor. When she complained, she said was moved to another location as retaliation for protesting. She filed a complaint with the federal

, which investigated. According to the State Department of Administrative Services, her complaint was settled for an undisclosed amount.

In another, Kathryn Long, a human resources analyst said the Military Department created a hostile workplace by failing to accommodate her disability, moving her into a different job, then laying her off in 2003. Her complaint, too, was settled for an undisclosed amount, according to the Bureau of Labor and Industries.

The Military Department has shown training films, given briefings and issued directives to encourage people to report allegations of sexual harassment. The good news, said the Military Department's Bomar, is that word is getting around that when employees report harassment, the department will take appropriate action, including calling in local law enforcement. And he acknowledged that the military is evolving along with society on such issues.

"I don't think people would work here if they didn't believe in the mission or didn't feel welcome," he said.

Against this backdrop, three employees of the Office of Emergency Management have charged the former director, Martin Plotner, with a series of unfair labor practices related to their work on behalf of their union. Those cases are pending before the Employment Relations Board. One of the three, Sidra Metzger-Hines, has filed a tort claim against the office alleging sex discrimination.

The Military Department last month placed Plotner on paid administrative leave while an investigation is conducted. Dave Stuckey, a former deputy director who had retired,

Plotner may be returned to a commensurate job after the investigation, Bomar said.

The Military Department fired another supervisor, Terry Clinton, in 2011 following

which a human resources investigator said amounted to sexual harassment. Clinton appealed his dismissal to the

, which earlier this month

.

Separately, the Military Department has acknowledged the state is conducting an investigation into its Human Resources Department and its director, Steve Petit, who remains on the job.

No matter how the investigations or the court cases proceed, change is coming to the Military Department this summer. Its longtime leader, Maj. Gen. Raymond F. Rees, is retiring. He will be replaced

. Hokanson is scheduled to be promoted to Major General -- a two-star rank -- later this month.

Hokanson declined to discuss the department until he takes over as adjutant general.

Said Bomar: "Everyone knows that if Gen. Rees hears about" inappropriate behavior by a Military Department employee, the adjutant general will take action.

-Mike Francis