Sworn affidavit included in court filing last week alleges massive political scandal and criminal allegations against Commissioner Chris Barnett
Josephine County Commissioner Chris Barnett is the subject of a new court filing right before Christmas day last week. And a signed, notarized affidavit included in the filing alleges one of the biggest political scandals that Josephine County has seen in the last 20 years or more. It also alleges crimes were committed by Chris Barnett around May of 2025 that were partially tied in with his role as a County Commissioner.
This is a long story that I’ve been following for well over a year now. So for readability, presented below is a summary of the news followed by the longer story with exhibits and facts for proof. Political allies of Chris Barnett will likely turn this into something it’s not or try and claim foul because the Grants Pass Tribune and its owner/publisher “John Oliver” Riccio has been at political and legal battle with Chris Barnett for close to 15 months now. So, in this article I will go out of my way to state and separate the facts from opinions and analysis in the long version of the story.
And in full disclosure readers should be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest or potential points of bias. For the record, I don’t think any local media could report this full story without bias or conflict of interest at some level.
- A major political ally of Chris Barnett, former Commissioner John West, has recently sued me for $2 million (alleged defamation while he was a commissioner) for what I would call exercising my 1st amendment rights to be a journalist and citizen with an opinion. I’ve not discussed it much yet in public or in writing because I’m not worried about it, I don’t make or write false statements, and I trust the coming court process to speak for itself and uphold my constitutional rights.
- I was also one of the campaign leaders of the recall of former Commissioner John West one year ago. John West’s lawsuit against me is similar in many ways to the lawsuits he filed against Lily Morgan (who largely prevailed against John West) and West’s lawsuit against the owner of the Grants Pass Tribune which has never been argued in court based on merits of the case.
- I got involved in the recall of John West due primarily to his lack of budgetary support for Josephine County Law Enforcement programs and I’ve observed Chris Barnett make similar budgetary mistakes. I’ve also not been shy about writing about my disappointment in Chris Barnett’s actions as commissioner throughout this year.
- Within the last two months I have filed 15 complaints against Chris Barnett with Josephine County HR as any local citizen could do according to the administrative policies of the County. All these complaints are still pending resolution, and most are on behalf of other individuals and agencies that have been allegedly harassed by Chris Barnett’s various owned and operated Facebook “News” pages. I was tired of seeing these repeated social media attacks throughout this year and felt it was finally time to report this behavior.
- I’ve been an unpaid volunteer writing articles about what I see as important local issues for about five years but for the last year I have been writing exclusively for the Grants Pass Tribune, whose owner is one of two main people featured in this news report.
All that being said, with everything I’ve witnessed and facts that I’ve seen over the last 14 months related to this story, I approached this story similar to how I would with anyone that brought a story like this to my attention. I interviewed and asked questions of “John Oliver” Riccio just like I would with anyone else. I collected evidence and documentation to the greatest extent possible at this time, just like I would with any story.
And here is one of the more important statements made by John Oliver in his interview that readers should keep in mind as you read this story:
My final question to John Oliver: Is there anything else you want the public to understand about these events and what you describe as a pattern of targeting by politically connected individuals and elected officials?
Response from John Oliver: It is important for the public to understand that I did not initiate this conflict. I did not seek it out, encourage it, or manufacture it. Commissioner Barnett chose to sue me prior to his election in what I believe was an effort to silence critical reporting and control the narrative. Some members of the public accepted those claims at the time. However, actions matter more than words, and recent events have made it increasingly clear who has been truthful and who has not. These matters will return to civil court, including the refiling of the $35.5 million lawsuit and additional actions as warranted. Ultimately, I believe the public will judge this situation based on documented conduct, evidence, and outcomes, not rhetoric.
Without further ado, here’s the story, starting with the short and quick read version.
News Summary (the Reader’s Digest version)
Chris Barnett, candidate for County Commissioner about 14 months ago, was the first to file what became a string of several “defamation” lawsuits against local citizens and local members of the media by elected officials, filing a lawsuit against John Oliver for what Barnett saw as unfavorable coverage of his run for County Commissioner. Eventually, using the same lawyer and similar language, Barnett’s political ally John West ended up filing similar lawsuits against John Oliver, Lily Morgan (chief petitioner of the John West recall campaign), and then JJ Scofield and Jay Meredith who were also leaders of the John West recall campaign.
So far, John Oliver is the only one of the group that has counter-sued Chris Barnett or John West (for a large amount of multi-million in damages). John Oliver’s claims and allegations against John West, Chris Barnett, and others in a combined lawsuit against them (which will eventually need to be refiled) include significant allegations such as going after advertisers of the Grants Pass Tribune and making false statements such as John Oliver having abused or sexually abused women. Other local political allies of West and Barnett are alleged to be involved in these conspiracies, according to court filings by John Oliver.
Close to two months after being sworn in as Commissioner in January 2025, Chris Barnett formed and became the owner/operator of several Facebook “News” Pages which appeared to be another direct attack on the Grants Pass Tribune because one used the legal name of the Grants Pass Tribune (Grants Pass Media) and one was named the Josephine County Tribune. Oregon Secretary of State business filings confirm Barnett as the owner of each.
Barnett’s fledgling “news” agencies spent 2025 putting out on the new Facebook pages what is best described as “hit pieces” against just about anyone that was critical of Barnett’s performance as commissioner this year…which includes most major local media. Countless “news” articles, either appearing without an author or with names that appear to be fake names, attacked John Oliver, the Grants Pass Tribune, those that write for the Grants Pass Tribune (like me), and many others. Many hit pieces and the very few articles of original content appear to be written by AI, as evidenced by their tone as well as incorrectly naming facts such as the name of the Mayor of Grants Pass. Even other local media such as the Daily Courier and KAJO/KLDR were the subject of hit pieces from Barnett’s owned and operated “news” pages.
But nobody was attacked and harassed more by Barnett’s “news” entities than John Oliver Riccio and the Grants Pass Tribune. That is, until the recall petition was filed against Commissioner Chris Barnett and Commissioner Andreas Blech at the end of August this year. Barnett’s “news” pages then launched several attacks on any local citizen who was seen as a leader of his recall effort and generally started using these “news” pages for recall campaign purposes.
Then came the afternoon of December 22, 2025, when instead of working as a full-time commissioner as County voters expect, Chris Barnett was allegedly driving a real estate vehicle and dangerously chasing John Oliver in his car down Redwood Highway as noted in John Oliver’s account of the incident here. John Oliver now legitimately feared for his safety, and on Wednesday December 24th filed in the State Circuit Court of Josephine County a request for a Stalking Protective Order and Temporary Restraining Order.
Disclosures in the December 24 court filing by John Oliver (provided by John Oliver) revealed that Commissioner Chris Barnett is currently facing a criminal investigation in what was titled a “Pattern of Coercion and Harassment (Affidavit Case #2025-39685, GPPD / DOJ).” A sworn affidavit by someone that used to temporarily live with John Oliver stated that in May of 2025 Chris Barnett allegedly bribed her to make false allegations against John Oliver and in return Barnett promised many financial gifts and even a job for this person to work for Josephine County.
More specifically, the sworn affidavit states: Coercion and Intended Purpose –
In exchange for the offers described above, Commissioner Barnett attempted to:
- Pressure me into making defamatory statements about John Oliver Riccio
- Persuade me to claim that John had been physically or sexually abusive
- Provide statements or documentation that could be used to damage John’s reputation
If these allegations are proven true, Chris Barnett’s actions this year could be the biggest political scandal Josephine County has seen in the last 20 years or so. In the end, this pattern of false statements about John Oliver could also implicate John West as well because according to court filings earlier this year, West and their attorney were alleged by John Oliver to have made similar false statements about abuse of women.
Of course, we must all remember in law enforcement investigations and even when someone is arrested, it’s innocent until proven guilty. But this is no longer simply he said she said type statements that have unfortunately dominated Josephine County politics in the last 18 months. There is a sworn affidavit that has been submitted to the court, and law enforcement has been investigating what was stated in this sworn affidavit for approximately the last 45 days.
A significant amount of evidence has been submitted to law enforcement according to John Oliver, and much of that evidence will stay with law enforcement where it belongs without being fully disclosed at this time. Right now, what we in the public know is DOJ is investigating and there is a sworn, notarized affidavit that says Barnett allegedly bribed a local citizen to make false statements about John Oliver for the purpose of damaging his reputation.
The timing of all of this appears coincidental to the pending recall vote on January 6th, given that law enforcement has been investigating for about 45 days and John Oliver stated he had no intention of making any of this information public until Chris Barnett’s December 22 road rage incident happened. We now have a huge “November Surprise” at Christmas time, just as voters are casting their special election recall ballots.
Just the Facts – the Extended Version
Chris Barnett, candidate for County Commissioner in the 2024 primary and general election, used the Grants Pass Tribune for campaign advertising until around the summer of 2024. Barnett pulled all his advertising with the Tribune when it started printing some unfavorable news or opinions about Barnett in the summer of 2024. John Oliver, doing his job as a journalist, documented several inconvenient truths in his reporting about Chris Barnett throughout the remainder of 2024 and into 2025.
Barnett was so disappointed in his coverage in the Grants Pass Tribune that Barnett was the first to file what became a string of several “defamation” lawsuits against local citizens and local members of the media by Josephine County Commissioners, filing a lawsuit in October of 2024 against John Oliver Riccio (sole owner and publisher of the Grants Pass Tribune). One of several concerns from Barnett was the GP Tribune’s coverage of Chris Barnett losing the lawsuit from residents of an RV Park Barnett purchased about 9 years ago, being charged with breach of contracts and elder financial abuse. And the Supreme Court of Oregon upheld Barnett’s legal loss in 2025, so even the Supreme Court validated John Oliver’s reporting. Eventually, using the same lawyer and similar language, Barnett’s political ally John West ended up filing similar lawsuits against John Oliver, Lily Morgan (chief petitioner of the John West recall campaign), and then JJ Scofield and Jay Meredith who were also leaders of the John West recall campaign in the fall of 2024.
So far, John Oliver is the only one of the group that has counter-sued Chris Barnett or John West (for a large amount of multi-million in damages). John Oliver’s claims and allegations against John West, Chris Barnett, and others in a combined lawsuit against them (which will eventually need to be refiled) include significant allegations such as going after advertisers of the Grants Pass Tribune and making false statements such as John Oliver having abused or sexually abused women.
Other local political allies of West and Barnett are alleged to be involved in these conspiracies, false statements, and going after any business that was advertising in the Grants Pass Tribune in 2024, according to court filings by John Oliver. Individuals included in the $35 million lawsuit filed by John Oliver on December 5, 2024 (Case No.: 24CV57342) include John West, Chris Barnett, Stephen Joncus, Simon Hare, Kristina Stickler, Edgar Michael Pelfrey (Accomplice), William Kronert (Accomplice), Candice Kaiser (Accomplice), and William Larry Protzek (a.k.a. Bill Meyer). Claims made in this lawsuit were Defamation of Character, Libel and Tortious Interference. Last summer this case was dismissed before the merits of the case were even discussed due to some procedural errors (Dismissal without Prejudice).
What’s not obvious to the public unless you pour over details in court filings, is that John Oliver was living with and dating Kristina Stickler until six years ago when they had a breakup due to her infidelity when Kristina started dating former Josephine County Commissioner Simon Hare (a political ally of John West and last year was also a political ally of Chris Barnett). John Oliver evicted Kristina from his house in Grants Pass, and in retaliation Kristina filed court documents falsely claiming that John Oliver had abused her. This abuse case was eventually dropped because the judge could see it was not a legitimate claim. But in Chris Barnett and John West’s legal attacks on John Oliver in late 2024 and early 2025, they and their attorney Stephen Joncus presented court documents alleging the abuse without presenting court documents showing the case was dismissed. Essentially, John Oliver alleges that to damage his reputation, Chris Barnett, John West, and their attorney Stephen Joncus manufactured false statements about him abusing women.
Close to two months after being sworn in as Commissioner in January 2025, Chris Barnett formed and became the owner/operator of several Facebook “News” Pages which appeared to be another direct attack on the Grants Pass Tribune because one used the legal name of the Grants Pass Tribune (Grants Pass Media) and one was named the Josephine County Tribune. Oregon Secretary of State business filings confirm Barnett as the owner of most of these as shown below. Combined with Barnett’s “Real Live News Southern Oregon” Facebook Page which Barnett used for campaign and other purposes for a couple years before he was elected, Barnett now owned and operated six separately named Facebook “News” pages, most of which are shown below.
Barnett’s fledgling “news” agencies spent 2025 putting out on the new Facebook pages what is best described as “hit pieces” against just about anyone that was critical of Barnett’s performance as commissioner this year…which includes most major local media. Countless “news” articles, either appearing without an author or with names that appear to be fake names, attacked John Oliver, the Grants Pass Tribune, those that write for the Grants Pass Tribune (like me), and many other citizens who were voicing criticism of Barnett’s performance as County Commissioner. Many hit pieces and the very few articles of original content on Barnett’s “news” pages appear to be written by AI, as evidenced by their tone as well as incorrectly naming facts such as the name of the Mayor of Grants Pass. Even other local media such as the Daily Courier and KAJO/KLDR were the subject of hit pieces from Barnett’s owned and operated “news” pages shortly after some unfavorable coverage of Commissioner Barnett.
But nobody was attacked and harassed more by Barnett’s “news” entities than John Oliver Riccio and the Grants Pass Tribune. That is, until the recall petition was filed against Commissioner Chris Barnett and Commissioner Andreas Blech at the end of August this year. Barnett’s “news” pages then launched several attacks on any local citizen who was seen as a leader of his recall effort and generally started using these “news” pages for recall campaign purposes. In the last two months, just about the only original content on these pages is related to Chris Barnett’s anti-recall campaign in some form or fashion, and Barnett features himself personally in just about every video posted to these “news” pages.
Then came the afternoon of December 22, 2025, when Chris Barnett was allegedly driving a Hommati real estate vehicle and dangerously chasing John Oliver in his car down Redwood Highway as noted in John Oliver’s account of the incident here. John Oliver now legitimately feared for his safety, and on Wednesday December 24th filed in the State Circuit Court of Josephine County a request for a Stalking Protective Order and Temporary Restraining Order.
Disclosures in the December 24 court filing by John Oliver (provided to me by John Oliver) revealed that Commissioner Chris Barnett is currently facing a criminal investigation in what was titled a “Pattern of Coercion and Harassment (Affidavit Case #2025-39685, GPPD / DOJ).” A sworn affidavit by someone that used to temporarily live with John Oliver until May of 2025 stated that in May of 2025 Chris Barnett allegedly bribed her to make false allegations against John Oliver and in return Barnett promised many financial gifts and even a job for her to work for Josephine County.
The following are sections taken directly from the sworn affidavit submitted to the court on December 24:
The following are questions asked of John Oliver after I reviewed the documents and exhibits John Oliver provided to me which were submitted to the Court on December 24 with his request for a Stalking Protective Order and Temporary Restraining Order. The questions are numbered, followed by John Oliver’s response in bold.
1) You mentioned that you are scheduled to appear before a judge at 8:00 a.m. this Monday regarding your Temporary Restraining Order request. Do you expect this to be an ex parte appearance where you present information alone, or is it possible Commissioner Barnett could be present, either in court or in the audience?
Based on my understanding of the process, this will be an ex parte hearing, meaning I will be the only party presenting information directly to the judge at this stage. The purpose of this appearance is for me to present factual evidence supporting my request for a Temporary Restraining Order for harassment and stalking protection against Commissioner Barnett. While court proceedings are generally public and anyone could technically attend, I have not been notified that Mr. Barnett will be present, nor do I expect him to be involved at this initial stage.
2) Do the three documents you provided constitute the entirety of your TRO filing? Also, can you provide the signed and notarized signature page of the Affidavit of [name redacted], including the date and time of notarization? A photo of the signature page would be sufficient.
Yes, the three documents I provided represent the complete filing submitted in support of the TRO request. I do possess a signed and notarized copy of her affidavit. However, the original signed affidavit has been submitted and is currently in the possession of both local and [state] law enforcement agencies as part of ongoing investigations. Once I am cleared to do so, I can provide a copy of the signature page showing the notarization date and time.
3) The December 22 road incident appears to be the latest event in what you describe as an ongoing pattern of harassment. What can you say about Case #2025-39685 involving Grants Pass Police and the Department of Justice, related to the matters raised in the affidavit? How long has that investigation been ongoing and what is its current status?
At this time, I am limited in what I can publicly discuss regarding that case. The investigation has been active for approximately forty-five days. I am not currently aware of its precise status, as these matters are handled independently by investigators. That said, based on communications I have received, I do expect that further developments or official actions will occur in the near future.
4) To your knowledge, is Commissioner Barnett aware that he is under investigation in connection with the issues raised in [name redacted’s] affidavit? If he was aware prior to the December driving incident, that could be significant.
As far as I know, Commissioner Barnett has not been formally notified of this investigation, though I cannot state that with absolute certainty. What I can say is that the driving incident on Redwood Highway appeared entirely unprovoked and unexplained. I do not know what motivated that behavior. Regardless of his awareness of any investigation, his actions were deeply disturbing and caused me to fear for my personal safety while simply going about my daily life in public.
5) Regarding the December 22 driving incident, since that part of Redwood Highway falls under city jurisdiction, did you report the incident to city police on the day it occurred? Is there a police case number associated with this event?
Yes. The incident was officially reported the same day to a Grants Pass Police detective with whom I am already working. Because the incident occurred on Redwood Highway, it was also reported to the Oregon State Police the following day. Importantly, there was an OSP trooper conducting a traffic stop just prior to the Dowell Road intersection at the time. That trooper’s dash camera should have captured Commissioner Barnett’s vehicle passing the patrol car as well as my vehicle merging onto Redwood Highway, providing independent visual evidence immediately preceding the incident.
6) Do you have any theories as to why Commissioner Barnett was driving erratically and filming you? Does the real estate-marked vehicle suggest he was conducting private business rather than official county work at the time?
I honestly do not know. Initially, I assumed it was an aggressive or reckless driver, which unfortunately is not uncommon. It was only when I looked over and realized that Commissioner Barnett was filming me, not with a phone but with a tablet, that I became genuinely alarmed. At that point, my concern shifted to my immediate safety and the question of motive. I cannot speculate as to why he was doing this or whether he was acting in a private or official capacity, only that the behavior itself was alarming and inappropriate.
7) Questions related to [name redacted]’s affidavit:
a) Did you ever learn the source of the so-called “outside reports” Commissioner Barnett allegedly referenced when telling [name redacted] that you were threatening lives? Were any names identified beyond Kristina Stickler and Ron Lee?
I have never been presented with any legitimate source for these alleged reports. To my knowledge, no credible evidence has ever been produced to support those claims.
b) What is your personal history, if any, with Ron Lee?
I met Ron Lee once, approximately eight years ago, when he represented himself as a journalist. I have had no meaningful contact or ongoing relationship with him since that single encounter.
c) It appears that these allegations align with false statements previously made by Kristina Stickler and Simon Hare, which were later echoed in the 2024 lawsuits filed against you by John West and Commissioner Barnett. Do you see this as a continuation of that pattern?
Yes. From my perspective, this appears to be a continuation and escalation of the same false narratives that were previously advanced in legal filings and public statements. What is different here is the level of personal interference and the apparent willingness to involve third parties in spreading those claims.
d) Do you want [name redacted]’s full experience made public at this time, and would you be willing to provide corroborating text messages she received?
That decision is being approached carefully and in coordination with legal counsel. While transparency is important, we must also ensure that releasing materials does not interfere with ongoing investigations or legal proceedings.
8) Regardless of the outcome of the TRO request, what do you believe happens next? Do you intend to pursue civil action against Commissioner Barnett?
Yes, absolutely. Civil litigation will be pursued. This is not a matter of speculation but intent.
9) Is there anything else you want the public to understand about these events and what you describe as a pattern of targeting by politically connected individuals and elected officials?
It is important for the public to understand that I did not initiate this conflict. I did not seek it out, encourage it, or manufacture it. Commissioner Barnett chose to sue me prior to his election in what I believe was an effort to silence critical reporting and control the narrative. Some members of the public accepted those claims at the time. However, actions matter more than words, and recent events have made it increasingly clear who has been truthful and who has not. These matters will return to civil court, including the refiling of the $35.5 million lawsuit and additional actions as warranted. Ultimately, I believe the public will judge this situation based on documented conduct, evidence, and outcomes, not rhetoric.
Opinion and Analysis
If last week’s new allegations from the court filing are proven true, Chris Barnett’s actions this year could be the biggest political scandal Josephine County has seen in the last 20 years or more. Perhaps needless to say, this isn’t just a series of bad or costly policy decisions, this is alleged criminal behavior by an elected official and allegedly partially done in conjunction with his official authority as a commissioner.
Of course, we must all remember in law enforcement investigations and even when someone is arrested, it’s innocent until proven guilty. But this is no longer simply he said she said type statements that have unfortunately dominated Josephine County politics in the last 18 months. There is a sworn affidavit that has been submitted to the court, and law enforcement has been investigating what was stated in this sworn affidavit for approximately the last 45 days.
A significant amount of evidence has been submitted to law enforcement according to John Oliver, and much of that evidence will stay with law enforcement where it belongs without being fully disclosed at this time. Right now, what we in the public can confirm is DOJ is investigating and there is a sworn, notarized affidavit that says Commissioner Chris Barnett allegedly bribed a local citizen to make false statements about John Oliver for the purpose of damaging his reputation.
The timing of all of this appears coincidental to the pending recall vote on January 6th, given that law enforcement has been investigating for about 45 days and John Oliver stated he had no intention of making any of this information public until Chris Barnett’s December 22 road rage incident happened. We now have a huge “November Surprise” at Christmas time, just as voters are casting their special election recall ballots.
I observed many significant factual red flags last year when Chris Barnett was running for commissioner and in his first five months in office. Many of those concerns are documented in this May 14, 2025 article I wrote. If I had to write that same article again today, it would be 2-3 times as long.
While we’re all human, I’m not aware of any significant uncorrected false statements that John Oliver or I have ever made when writing about or reporting on the activities of any of our local elected officials. The Grants Pass Tribune may not be operated like a “typical” newspaper…if there is such a thing is typical in this digital age. But truth and documentation are paramount in all that we report.
It appears to us, Chris Barnett is the main current source of fake news in Josephine County. We have documented countless false statements made by Barnett this year, including even on his statement of justification that appears on the ballot before voters in the special recall election happening right now.
What we’re battling with John West and Chris Barnett is much bigger than a dispute between a reporter and elected official. This elected official and former elected official are using their wealth and political influence to try and remove our first amendment rights. They are bullying us with their money and political connections and refuse to admit that they are wrong even when hard evidence is provided. And so far they keep appealing court cases even when they lose, a strategy that allows them to try and maintain the lies for even longer.
With the January 6th recall special election coming up for Chris Barnett and John West having said several times to the media that he plans on running for commissioner again in 2026, in the short-term voters will have their say. In the longer-term, justice and the court of law will have their say.
Not only do John Oliver and I have the truth on our side, but we also have the 1st amendment protections on our side, including freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of petition. We welcome questions or inquiries about anything we write, just submit a comment on this or any other article on the Grants Pass Tribune website. We are an open book of facts, with nothing to hide.