West Linn police officers raised concerns about embattled Sgt. Tony Reeves years ago, saying he made racially insensitive remarks, lied and risked tarnishing the department’s reputation, according to documents released late Friday by the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office.

Reeves was placed on paid leave Wednesday as the district attorney investigates the questionable arrest in 2017 of an African American man in Portland. Reeves was the lead detective on that case. It prompted two federal lawsuits, with the city paying $600,000 this week to settle the claim against police.

But records show Reeves’ colleagues voiced strong reservations about him long before.

In May 2015, then-West Linn Sgt. Kirk Tonkin told a Clackamas County sheriff’s investigator that Reeves was "racially insensitive'' on the job when Reeves was under his supervision and had made comments about black people in front of other officers. Tonkin said he "verbally counseled'' him for it.

Another West Linn officer confirmed to an investigator that Reeves made an insensitive comment about black people during a police briefing and said he believed Reeves was "addicted to arresting people,'' the records show.

The same officer, Nick Amendolara, told investigators that Reeves had a history of not properly documenting incidents and making "false statements.'' Reeves changed his last name from Poitras in 2017.

"I do not feel comfortable working with Officer Poitras and especially do not feel comfortable having him present on any of my calls or covering me,'' Amendolara wrote to a West Linn police captain in 2012.

"I am concerned that someone who exhibits this type of behavior and character is allowed to work on the street, interact with the public, make arrests, submit reports and participate in the judicial process. I am concerned about the risk this places on the City, the Citizens, the reputation of this department and those prosecuting cases submitted by Officer Poitras.''

West Linn Officer Nick Amendolara wrote this email to a West Linn police captain on Nov. 11, 2012, about Tony Reeves, who then went by the last name Poitras: "I am concerned that someone who exhibits this type of behavior and character is allowed to work on the street, interact with the public, make arrests, submit reports and participate in the judicial process.''

Reeves also had received a "memo of counseling,'' for one racially insensitive statement while on the job. After a sergeant alerted officers that a group of African American magazine salespeople were going door-to-door in town one evening, Reeves said, "You can’t see black people in the dark.''

Reeves, in a sworn deposition from the civil suit against police, said his remark was taken out of context but he signed his counseling memo and said it was explained to him how the remark could be perceived.

In 2015, the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office had asked the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office to investigate these and other allegations involving Reeves, conducting what’s called a Brady review to determine if there were crimes or truthfulness issues that would warrant no longer calling him as a witness in court, effectively ending his career, or if they needed to share any information about him with defense lawyers that could possibly be used to impeach him on the stand.

The district attorney’s office later determined there was insufficient evidence to warrant a Brady finding on Reeves.

The Reeves investigation was partly prompted by attorney Dan Thenell, who represented three West Linn officers, and had sent a letter in May 2014 to the West Linn city manager, detailing alleged misconduct by Reeves, then-Police Chief Terry Timeus and Lt. Mike Stradley. Stradley also had gone to the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office, urging the office to investigate West Linn officers who he said were raising false allegations against him.

Michael Fesser's lawyer Paul Buchanan asks Reeves about the discipline he received for saying, "We don't see black people at night,'' while on the job at West Linn Police Department.

The Oregon Department of Justice initiated a separate criminal investigation into Stradley and Timeus, evaluating allegations that Stradley changed a police report to remove mention of the chief’s name to protect him from alleged misconduct and then forged another officer’s signature, and Timeus’ alleged tampering with a police exam to pass his girlfriend’s sister. In a December 2014 letter, the Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Colin Benson wrote to Thenell that they found insufficient evidence that either committed any crimes.

Thenell said Friday that he’s frustrated that it took this week’s settlement to spur a deeper look at the longstanding misconduct allegations.

“It’s sad that that had to happen to have it exposed,'' he said. “All of these entities could have stopped this a long time ago.”

The $600,000 payout came after Michael Fesser, 48, filed a wrongful arrest and racial discrimination lawsuit against West Linn police. West Linn police, led by Reeves and assisted by Portland police, pulled Fesser over on his way home from work after illicitly recording and watching him at his job on Feb. 25, 2017.

In 2015, then-West Linn Sgt. Kirk Tonkin told a Clackamas County sheriff's investigator of his concerns about racially insensitive remarks made by West Linn Officer Tony Reeves, who then went by the last name Poitras.Clackamas County DA's Office Record

Fesser was taken to jail that night on an aggravated theft accusation that was dropped days later but then indicted in November 2017 on more theft charges that also were later dismissed.

Through depositions, subpoenas and other court records, the case revealed that West Linn police initiated their investigation of Fesser at the behest of Timeus. The police chief had set his officers on Fesser at the request of a fishing buddy, Eric Benson, owner of A&B Towing in Southeast Portland, who said he thought Fesser was skimming money from the business. Fesser worked at the towing company.

Fesser said the arrest was in retaliation for his complaints about a racially hostile work environment at the towing company. Benson and his company later paid $415,000 to Fesser to settle a separate discrimination and retaliation suit.

The litigation turned up a string of racist and crude text messages exchanged between Benson and Reeves while the West Linn police were conducting the surveillance of Fesser at work with the help of civilians.

Also Friday night, West Linn Mayor Russ Axelrod and the City Council joined the call for a federal investigation into Fesser’s wrongful arrest.

"As the representatives of the citizens of West Linn, we have an obligation to hold those within city government accountable, including ourselves,'' they wrote in a letter to Oregon’s U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.

Though West Linn City Council members said they were briefed in an executive session Monday night about the settlement, Council President Teri Cummings said they received few details about what happened.

U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer have urged Williams to initiate a civil rights investigation. Williams has not commented.

"We believe it is imperative for any law enforcement agency to have the full confidence of the citizens it serves,'' the mayor and council said in their letter to WIlliams. "To achieve that, we are committed to finding answers and join our community, state leaders, federal representatives and our current Police Chief in calling for a thorough outside review by the Department of Justice into the actions of the City of West Linn and the West Linn Police Department in this case.''

In the meantime, Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote and Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill have opened separate investigations into Fesser’s arrest and indictment.

Gov. Kate Brown also directed the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards & Training to conduct its own inquiry into the handling of Fesser’s case. She also had Stradley, now a trainer at the state’s basic police academy, placed on paid leave while an investigation proceeds.

Portland Police Chief Jami Resch called for an internal affairs investigation to determine if any bureau policy was violated in the case. Portland police gang enforcement officers were called in to assist in the traffic stop and arrest of Fesser.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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