Sgt. Tracy Murphy of the Centralia Police Department said he had “no comment” Wednesday when asked whether or not he had been placed on administrative leave.
The Lewis County sheriff candidate did not respond to a second request for comment Thursday.
Murphy is the subject of an anonymous complaint filed with Washington state Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), the agency that provides basic law enforcement training, certifies officers, and investigates potential misconduct leading to possible decertification.
Centralia Police Chief Andy Caldwell avoided questions about Murphy’s leave last Friday, April 3, saying the department doesn’t comment on ongoing investigations.
When asked if the investigation pertained to the anonymous complaint filed against Murphy, Caldwell again declined to comment.
The anonymous complaint form, received by the CJTC on Jan. 31, alleges that Murphy made “repeated statements” claiming Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza “acquires and protects cocaine dealers,” who then distribute cocaine to Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope, state Rep. Peter Abbarno and Chronicle Publisher Chad Taylor.
The complainant, citing a “reasonable fear of retaliation” as justification for anonymity, explained the basis for the complaint as follows: Either Murphy is “knowingly spreading false information for political purposes,” or else the allegations “have some basis in fact,” and Murphy “is not reporting them through appropriate legal or professional channels and may instead be using this information to influence or gain leverage in an upcoming election.”
Snaza, Swope, Abbarno and Taylor all denied the allegations in February.
In a news release, the “Tracy Murphy for Sheriff” campaign called the anonymous complaint "politically motivated” and promised to “publicly disclose all documents associated with the complaint following the conclusion of the investigation.”
Following the release, Murphy told The Chronicle he’d wait until the CJTC concluded its findings before commenting further, but said, “What I was provided, there was no validity to it.”
A spokesperson for the CJTC said Tuesday that the complaint’s status is in the “intake review” stage, meaning a review team has yet to recommend whether to pursue a certification investigation or close the case according to criteria dictated by state law.
Before a CJTC investigation can begin, the intake review team must first conduct a “preliminary review” of the available records, according to the agency’s certification investigation process.
Any potential CJTC investigation is followed, in order, by an administrative review, a statement of charges, if necessary, and, finally, an administrative hearing where the officer can argue against the commission’s decision to revoke or suspend their certification.
In a written response to the CJTC in February, Caldwell said his department would not initiate its own formal investigation, “given the vague and anonymous nature of the allegations.”
A formal investigation, Caldwell said, would be an “unfair fishing expedition without any ability to confirm the details of the allegation,” adding later that such an investigation “would unfairly burden all parties involved, including those who may have shared information in good faith.”
The police chief said he would instead review the complaint and departmental policies with Murphy in what he called an informal supervisory contact.
In the months since, however, multiple sources, including the CJTC, have said the police department did initiate its own investigation.
Some sources indicated the investigation was external and said Murphy had been put on leave, which, in itself, would not suggest proof of any wrongdoing.
The CJTC on Tuesday said it had not been notified whether Murphy was put on leave, but added that such notification is not required, as the action is not considered disciplinary.
The Centralia Police Department’s continued silence has nonetheless led to speculation across the county, including on social media, prompting at least one sheriff candidate to publicly deny that he was put on leave.
In a recent Facebook post, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Deputy Daniel “Danny” Riordan said the rumor “has nothing to do with me” or fellow candidate Deputy Justin Kangas.
Riordan said Kangas and “several people” had reached out to him.
“I hope it’s just a bad rumor,” Riordan added.
Another candidate, Chehalis Deputy Police Chief Matt McKnight, told The Chronicle Thursday that he was not on leave. Chief Randy Kaut confirmed that McKnight was not on leave.
The other remaining candidate, Kenneth Cheeseman, is a retired member of the LCSO.
Murphy was the first sheriff candidate to file with the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission in May 2025, following a contentious loss to Snaza in 2022.
Snaza announced his upcoming retirement to office staff in a memorandum on Nov. 6, 2025.
The longtime sheriff was first elected in Lewis County in 2014 after considering a run in 2010. He was reelected in 2018 and 2022.
In his response to the CJTC in February, Caldwell referred to “historical context” from Murphy's 2022 run against Snaza, when Murphy reportedly “expressed suspicions based on a trail of information from community sources about certain associates of Sheriff Rob Snaza who were possibly engaging in low-level illegal drug activity.”
“At the time, the suspicions were not directly connected to Sheriff Snaza, as this complaint alleges,” Caldwell said.
Murphy has worked with the Centralia Police Department for roughly 30 years.
The detective sergeant leads the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team composed of detectives and agents from the Centralia Police Department, Chehalis Police Department, Washington state Department of Corrections and Drug Enforcement Administration.
The LCSO was also once part of the multi-agency team, until Snaza removed his department in 2020, citing a staff shortage.
In February, Snaza called the CJTC complaint "unwarranted, frivolous and absurd,” and said he’s known Murphy “almost his whole law enforcement career.”
“This investigation is going to go nowhere because there is nothing,” the sheriff said. “But I just say that, you know, when you're running for office or you're in office as sheriff, people are going to say a lot of things about you that aren't true.”
All of the candidates, except for Kangas, participated in a community forum hosted by The Chronicle last Thursday, April 2.
The Lewis County primary election is Aug. 4.
