Blaine Co. Sheriff Owes More than $40K in Back Taxes and Interest, Court Docs Show

WATONGA – Court documents filed last week show that Blaine County Sheriff Travis Daugherty owes the State of Oklahoma more than $40,000 in unpaid personal income taxes, interest, penalties and fees.

But the sheriff told the Watonga Republican his personal debts don't affect his job performance.

The Oklahoma Tax Commission submitted an Application for State Tax Enforcement last month seeking $42,684.92 from Daugherty based on debts that date back as far as 2013. The state is asking a court to order any "actions as are needed against" Daugherty "in order to collect the full amount of indebtedness," including "a hearing on assets" or "garnishment" of Daugherty's salary. The sheriff says his attorney is negotiating with the state, though, and none of that will be necessary.

"It's not going to hinder who I am as the sheriff," Daugherty told the Republican on Tuesday. "It's not going to ever be an issue where it turns into a criminal issue, because I'm not a dodger, if you will. I'm just trying to get to a happy medium and get it figured out."

According to court documents, Daugherty's debt was accumulated through unpaid personal income taxes in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2020. Three tax warrants, or tax liens, were filed against Daugherty in 2017, and a fourth was filed in 2021.

The documents show the total amount of unpaid taxes between the four years amounted to $16,920. The tax bills range from just $393 in 2015 to $9,237 in 2015; but by the time Daugherty received a tax warrant in 2017, those 2015 debts had jumped to more than $13,000 including interest and fees. The numbers have only climbed since then.

Now, the state is asking for more than $42,000 as of May 20, 2022, when it filed the Application for State Tax Enforcement.

All four tax warrants state that interest "continues to accrue" on unpaid bills, "and additional penalties may accrue as authorized by Oklahoma Law."

Daugherty said his attorney is working on a more reasonable settlement with the state to begin the process of paying the debts. Sherri Carver, an Oklahoma City tax attorney, told the Watonga Republican that the state sometimes negotiates lower settlements on past-due tax bills, forgiving some – but not all – of accrued interest and penalties.

The Application for State Tax Enforcement was prepared on the state's behalf by Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, a national firm that specializes in collecting delinquent payments for governments.

Multiple county officials declined to comment on the debts Tuesday, calling them a personal matter.

Daugherty was elected Blaine County sheriff in 2020 in his second run for the office after an unsuccessful bid in 2008. Before he became the county's head law enforcement officer, Daugherty had stints as a Blaine County deputy and undersheriff.

He also served with the Canton Police Department and federally for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.