Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Jackson County Sheriff's office has been ordered to pay more than $40,000 in legal fees. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, the sheriff refused in 2007 to release the names of people with concealed handgun permits.

The Medford Tribune asked for the records from 2006 to 2007. Editor Bob Hunter says he didn't plan to publish the names -- he wanted to find out whether there were any teachers on the list.

A teacher from South Medford High School had filed a lawsuit seeking to carry a gun to school.

The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled in June that Sheriff Mike Winters wrongly denied the newspaper's request. The court has now ordered him to pay legal fees.

Calls to the Sheriff's office were not immediately returned.

But Winters told the Mail Tribune he has no regrets about fighting the paper. He says the time and money were necessary to protect school teachers who possess handgun licenses.

The South Medford High School teacher whose case sparked the newspaper's request, lost her case. It was dismissed by the Oregon appeals court.