Strommen Under Investigation, on Paid Leave

In what can only be described as a shocking turn of events in the race for Valley County Sheriff, Undersheriff and candidate for sheriff Luke Strommen was placed on paid administrative leave June 15, pending the results of an investigation by the Montana Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

The details of the investigation are not being released by the Sheriff’s Office or DCI, but in a statement released June 18, Sheriff Vernon Buerkle said, “This action is the result of an ongoing investigation being conducted by investigators from the Montana Department of Justice for an incident which occurred approximately four years ago.”

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for DCI told the Courier that the department had nothing to add to the information that had been put out by Sheriff Buerkle other than to confirm that an investigation was ongoing and that once complete it would be referred to the Prosecution Services Bureau of the Montana Department of Justice.

Valley County Commissioner Bruce Petersen told the Courier, “I have every confidence that Vernon (Buerkle) is going through the process properly,” referring to the investigation.

It is unclear at the present time what the result of the investigation will be or if Strommen will return from administrative leave. Nor is it known if he will continue in the race for Sheriff.

According to Clerk and Recorder Lynn Nyquist, it is still possible for a candidate to file as a declared write-in candidate for the race, leaving open the possibility of a candidate entering the race. At press time, it was unclear who, if anyone, would take up that mantle.

Strommen was contacted by the Courier, but did not want to proved comment at the current time.