EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has fired two deputies after an internal investigation found they searched a suspect’s car without a warrant and then tried to cover it up.

Sheriff Ty Trenary accused the pair of dishonesty and other policy violations.

The sheriff says they claimed to be taking inventory of a vehicle that had been seized when its owner was arrested on a drug charge, but in reality they were conducting a criminal investigation and that when they later applied for a search warrant, they failed to tell the judge they had already looked in the trunk and found a shotgun.

Trenary’s opponent in Tuesday’s election, sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Fortney, claims the firings were politically motivated. The fired deputies, Matt Boice and Evan Twedt, have supported Fortney’s campaign.