Ex-deputy alleges candidate for Placer sheriff used sexually charged language toward her

A candidate for Placer County sheriff is involved in an unlawful termination and sexual harassment lawsuit set to go to trial next month, just three weeks before the election.

The candidate, Placer County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brandon Bean, is not a defendant in the lawsuit, which was filed by former Sheriff’s Sgt. Megan Yaws.

But Bean is a player in the case because Yaws alleges he directed crude language at her.

Yaws was terminated from her position in the sheriff’s office in January 2018. She alleges in a lawsuit filed later that year that Bean used sexually charged language against her while processing paperwork related to an on-the-job injury she experienced.

Placer County in court documents has acknowledged that Bean used graphic language in the jail, but contends Yaws’ lawsuit misrepresents his remarks. For instance, county attorneys say Bean used the the crude language in large groups to characterize how inmates treat each other. County attorneys say he did not direct the remarks at anyone in particular.

A spokesman for Bean’s campaign said Bean could not comment on the matter due to a county policy prohibiting comment on pending litigation.

The spokesman alleged one of Bean’s political adversaries spread word about the lawsuit with the knowledge he could not comment on it.

Bean is running against Undersheriff Wayne Woo, who was involved in the decision to dismiss Yaws when he reviewed an internal investigation that led to her termination.

“I think it is ironic and a bit cynical the the people who are pitching the story for political purposes, are using their official capacity to prevent Bean from responding,” said Tab Berg, an adviser to Bean’s campaign.

Woo distanced his campaign from the lawsuit.

“Me or my campaign are 100% not involved in spreading that information,” Woo, said in a phone call.

The lawsuit does not name any individuals in the sheriff’s office as defendants, although officials are identified in various filings, including Woo and outgoing Sheriff Devon Bell.

Yaws, who was fired as a correctional sergeant from the sheriff’s office for failing to report excessive force incidents against jail inmates, alleges in her complaint that she received negative performance reviews from her supervisor, Lt. Alfredo Guitron as a result of a workplace injury.

She also accuses Bean, another supervising sergeant in the sheriff’s office, of sexually harassing her.

“Defendants supervisors would comment to plaintiff and other employees during work hours: ‘I’m going to rape you for the sex ... and if not for the sex, for the power’ and ‘if you don’t like it, you can eat a bowl of d----’, which occurred at least once per week at the end of staff meetings,” the complaint said.

Sheriff candidate was a jail supervisor

In its response to the complaint, the county denied the allegations, saying Yaws did not provide sufficient facts and noting Yaws did not bring forward the allegations until after her termination.

“Ms. Yaws never requested an accommodation which was denied by the county, nor did Ms. Yaws ever tell HR, Sgt. Bean, or any member of the command staff that her requested accommodations were not working,” the county said.

The sheriff’s office launched a review into the allegations against Bean and another supervising officer, Lt. Guitron, whom Yaws accused of sending inappropriate text messages to her.

In the county settlement conference statement, filed with the court in May of 2021, the county said while Bean admitted he made the comment, he told attorneys that Yaws had left out significant context.

“Those statements were made during a staff briefing prior to shift with more than 20 men and women present,” court documents said. “Sgt. Bean was describing the thought process of inmate behavior.

The full quote regarding the bowl of genitalia was ‘If you don’t like it [an action or decision], then eat a bowl of d----’ which is meant to convey that the person making the statement was not going to change their minds. The rape comment was not a threat of rape by Sgt. Bean or directed by Ms. Yaws or any individual. It was a statement of the mindset of the power dynamics between inmates and inmates and jail staff.”

As to the allegation against Lt. Guitron, the county said the messages Yaws provided “were neither explicitly or even indirectly sexual in nature or harassing.”

Yaws’ attorney in a June 2021 trial brief maintained her allegations that the county violated the Fair Employment and Housing Act when it terminated her, saying officials discriminated against her for a workplace injury and used her as a “scapegoat.”

“As a result of the disability discrimination, plaintiff alleges she was targeted by the defendants in their attempt to cover up a hostile working environment and culture of abusing inmates,” it said.

Placer deputy received ‘standard’ reviews

The county’s trial brief notes that Yaws received a “standard” rating in her review and Lt. Guitron approved her for a salary merit increase prior to the investigation into the use-of-force incidents.

Yaws was placed on administrative leave in 2017 during an internal affairs investigation into five incidents of excessive force used against inmates under her supervision.

“The outcome of the review was the discovery of multiple incidents wherein excessive force was used on inmates while Ms. Yaws was the shift supervisor and that the reports written by the officers and approved by Ms. Yaws did not accurately reflect the uses of force,” the county’s trial brief said.

The internal affairs investigation recommended Yaws’ termination. Two other deputies were also terminated and all three were criminally charged by the District Attorney’s Office. The charges against Yaws were later dropped, but the two deputies were convicted of a combined four felonies.

Yaws maintains that she was wrongfully terminated, the plaintiff’s trial brief says.

The case is set to go to a jury trial May 23.

This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM.