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CITY, ND – (NewsDakota.com) Four Valley City officials who filed a grievance against Mayor Bob Werkhoven for creating a hostile work environment has caused a stir in Valley City.
On January 21st a letter of questions from Valley City resident Robert Drake to City Administrator David Schelkoph was made public.
Drake told NewsDakota.com that he was surprised that city officials released the letter publicly through their attorney Joe Larson. He said he just wanted an answers to these questions to see if some or all were true or false.
Some of the questions asked whether there was a sexual harassment allegation or charge against Police Chief Fred Thompson. Another asked if Police Lieutenant David Swenson engaged in sexual relations while on duty and another asked if City Attorney Russell Myhre was under investigation for purchasing alcohol to minors. And other question asks the City Administrator David Schelkoph if he knew that officer Swenson refused to take a lie detector test concerning an allegation of a forgery charge.
Jamestown attorney Joseph Larson represents all four city officials. He says the allegations are false, shameful and disgraceful.
All four made a request to have the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation see if Robert Drake and Valley City Mayor Bob Werkhoven violated a North Dakota Century Code with the intent to influence the actions of public officials to obtain a favorable decision on the filing of a proposed petition to disband the police department.
Mayor Bob Werkhoven had this response to some of the allegations filed against him this week in an interview with Ingstad Family Media reporter Steve Urness.
Mayor Werkhoven denies that he encouraged any citizen to make a complaint to the BCI to have Police Chief Fred Thompson investigated for pulling his service weapon on a citizen with a toy gun. He says the documents below (listed Werkhoven Documents) will prove that he did not do what other city officials claim.
Mayor Werkhoeven says he believes City Administrator David Schelkoph did not follow the proper protocol concerning the handling of an allegation of sexual harassment brought to his attention concerning Police Chief Fred Thompson.
Below are city documents (listed Valley City Documents) on the city’s response to Robert Drakes 15 questions, “Toy Gun” incident filed by a Valley City resident and the subsequent BCI response to that investigation, emails concerning freedom of speech or expression of a citizen request to be on the city agenda and ND Century Code over what constitutes Threatening Public Servants and influencing a public servant’s action on an issue.
In Chief Fred Thompson’s grievance complaint against Mayor Werkhoeven, he accuses the mayor of not doing his duty by swearing in Lt. David Swenson during a November 2015 city commission meeting because Werkhoven carried a grudge against Swenson.
Werkhoven told NewsDakota.com that he had a prior commitment and could not attend the meeting. Werkhoven also cited ND Century Code Chapter 40-20-05 “The chief of police shall have the authority to administer oaths to police officers under the chief’s supervision.”