Marion Co. sheriff's candidate under fire over affair

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A Marion County sheriff's candidate is under fire for an extramarital affair. He's accused of repeatedly meeting with his mistress while on the job.

Undersheriff Dan Kuhn, who's also the Republican nominee running for sheriff, admitted to having an affair that began in November 2010.

Kuhn admitted to the affair that ended almost two years ago. But it was only made public earlier this week when an attorney filed a formal complaint on behalf of Kuhn's former mistress with the Sheriff's Office.

The complaint says their encounters happened during work hours and even in his office.

WFTV's Melonie Holt spoke to Kuhn's wife, Tajai Kuhn, on Wednesday. She was hesitant to talk about the allegations.

But she wanted to make it clear that she supports both her husband and his run for sheriff.

Now, the Sheriff's Office is conducting an internal investigation parallel to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement review which was launched to determine whether any laws were violated.

"We were at a place in our marriage, it was hard. But we decided to fight," said Tajai Kuhn. "I can honestly say that we are stronger than we've ever been in our 23 years of marriage."

Tajai Kuhn wouldn't hazard a guess as to the timing of the complaint, but her husband is the Republican nominee for sheriff.

His closest competition is Constitution Party candidate Bernie Decastro.

The Kuhns have contacted an attorney.

The attorney who reportedly filed the complaint on behalf of Melissa Cook, Charles Hollman, did not return any of WFTV's calls for comment.

There are also reports that Dan Kuhn and Cook met while he was on duty and that over the weekend, there were trysts inside Kuhns' office.

Despite the controversy, Tajai Kuhn told WFTV she still supports her husband's candidacy for sheriff.

"Regardless of what happens, I know we're going to be OK," she said.

WFTV contacted Decastro about the sheriff's race. Decastro's made no secret of his own transformation. He spent some 19 years in prison on mostly drug-related crimes. He told WFTV he didn't want to pile on and does feel badly for Kuhn's family.

WFTV