SUBLETTE COUNTY — The Sublette County Commissioners are officially calling for the removal of Sheriff Haskell from office.
In a press release, the Commission stated their belief that Haskell should be removed from office, citing alleged acts of misconduct and malfeasance in office.
The Commission’s complaint further alleges that Sublette County Commission, the Sublette County Clerk, and the Sublette County Attorney’s Office have received credible reports of Sublette County Sheriff’s Office command level staff and personnel engaging in intimidation and harassment directed to those who cooperated with the DCI.
The full text of the press release follows:
On March 14, 2016, the Sublette County Commission voted unanimously to send a verified complaint to Governor Matt Mead.
Pursuant to Wyoming Statute §18-3-902, the complaint sent to Governor Mead outlined what the County Commission believed were repeated acts of misconduct and malfeasance in office committed by Sublette County Sheriff Stephen Haskell.
Sheriff Haskell is currently charged with three felonies and two misdemeanors related to unauthorized purchases made before being sworn in as Sheriff on January 5, 2015.
These charges were filed by a specially appointed independent prosecutor, Michael Blonigen, who is currently the 7th Judicial District Attorney in Casper, Wyoming and has over 30 years of prosecutorial experience.
It is a pillar of our criminal justice system that persons facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until conviction. Nevertheless, the Commission cannot ignore the troubling evidence upon which the charges are based.
According to the independent investigation conducted by the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI), it appears the Sheriff agreed that he would pay for all items ordered prior to being sworn in, then went on to purposely alter dates on invoices to make it appear as though the items which were ordered prior to January 5, 2015, were ordered after January 5, 2015.
By doing so, he intentionally misled the Commission and avoided paying a personal debt of approximately $12,000.
When the Commission approved payment of the invoices in question in February 2015, it stated that there was no criminal intent related to the ordering of the uniforms.
However, the Commission was unaware at that time that the Sheriff had falsified multiple invoice dates to avoid being personally responsible for payment.
Upon the Sheriff’s arrest for the criminal charges in January, the Commission received numerous inquiries related to and requesting the removal of the Sheriff.
The Commission did not act upon those requests at that time to allow the criminal matter to reach a conclusion.
On February 22, 2016, a Preliminary Hearing was held, and additional troubling evidence was introduced.
Specifically, Special Agent Brad Wnuk testified under oath that several Sheriff’s Office employees were aware of the changing of dates on the invoices, and were uncomfortable with what the Sheriff was doing.
One employee expressed reluctance to be a part of altering invoice dates, and another employee was ordered by the Sheriff to shred documents relating to the purchases.
The vendors involved in the purchases likewise questioned whether the Sheriff had permission to alter invoice dates, and were initially reluctant to do so.
Moreover, since the preliminary hearing, the Sublette County Commission, the Sublette County Clerk, and the Sublette County Attorney’s Office have received credible reports of certain command staff personnel engaging in intimidation and harassment directed to those who cooperated with the DCI.
Finally, there are numerous reports by other employees of the Sheriff’s Office, who describe a highly dysfunctional workplace since the arrest of Sheriff Haskell.
All of these factors obligated the Commission to act before resolution of the criminal case.
Furthermore, there is no requirement in Wyoming Statute §18-3-902, which mandates a criminal conviction before sending a verified complaint. While the charges against the Sheriff played a large role in submitting the verified complaint, this is a separate legal matter from his criminal case, with different procedures and protocols.
As a Commission, we understand concerns that certain members of the public may have about the request for removal of a public official from office.
The Sublette County Commission did not take this action lightly. The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office employs upwards of 70 people and has an annual budget of $9,000,000.00.
The Sheriff is granted a tremendous amount of authority, discretion, and autonomy in operating his department. The position demands an individual who exercises uncompromising integrity.
The complaint to Governor Mead is an attempt to preserve the integrity and functionality of the Sheriff’s Office, mitigate civil liability in the workplace, and to protect employees who are being unlawfully targeted because of their cooperation in the investigation.
