One of two candidates for Clark County sheriff is claiming “nasty rumors” about dealings with a former hopeful for the seat are false.
On Aug. 22, Rey Reynolds, a Vancouver Police Department corporal and one of two moving on to vie for the sheriff’s seat in November following the August primary election, denied “quid pro quo” allegations regarding him and David Shook. Shook was eliminated in the primary, with Reynolds and sheriff’s office chief criminal deputy John Horch moving on.
In his statement, Reynolds said allegations that he promised Shook a position in Reynolds’ leadership structure if he is elected are “100%, completely false.” Shook is currently a deputy with the sheriff’s office who served for years in the Washington County Sheriff’s Office before joining Clark County in 2020.
“During the campaign trail, Dave Shook and I got to know each other, and I came to appreciate and admire his passion, intelligence, experience, and ideas to bring positive change to Clark County,” Reynolds said in the statement. “Our platforms were similar, despite some minor differences, which is a good thing because we can bring our thoughts together, learn from each other, and draw out the best ideas that are most likely to be fruitful and weeding out what probably won’t work.”
Reynolds’ statement appears to contradict what Shook himself has said. In a social media post on Aug. 12, Shook acknowledged he would not advance to the November election, and announced his support of Reynolds.
“(Reynolds) asked me to be a part of his administration and I look forward to helping him bring the changes desperately needed by the sheriff’s office,” Shook wrote. “If you have not heard or talked to Rey in person, I would recommend you find an opportunity.”
Horch edged out Reynolds for the most votes in the August primary. Horch received about 42.7% of the vote to Reynolds’ roughly 41%. Either candidate would need to pick up votes from those who voted for Shook in order to become sheriff.
