Ready for some cornholeMike Cease smiles as he readies to take a few practice throws during the cornhole tournament at the Pen Convention Center on February 8. See photos pages 10 and 11.
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City taken to court in police chief appeal
by Michael Stafford
Former Deer Lodge Chief of Police, Richard Johnson, has appealed to Montana’s Third District Judicial District Court regarding his termination and the subsequent hearing before the Deer Lodge Police Commission last year.
The case, which was filed on February 11, states, “This matter is based upon the discharge of Mr. Johnson on or around May 28, 2019, by Mayor Caleb Burton, and a subsequent hearing held on or around November 7, 2019, before the City Police Commission of Deer Lodge Montana.”
The hearing before the police commission lasted nearly seven hours and included multiple exhibits of evidence, testimony from a number of people and deliberation by the commission as they came to the decision that they agreed with the mayor’s termination of Johnson. Johnson had alleged that the discharge was not supported by good cause, the disciplinary procedure was not followed correctly and the mayor abused his discretion.
At the time Johnson sought the payment of his salary and benefits until retirement age at 65.
Much of the hearing at the time centered around performance evaluations of the officers under Johnson’s supervision. Johnson alleged that he thought his work on the evaluations were adequate, while Burton contended that he had set out his expectations to the police chief and he had not done as instructed and the evaluations were not in compliance with policy and procedures.
After much evidence and testimony the police commission determined unanimously there was good reason for the termination and the mayor had the authority to remove the chief. In regards to the question of whether disciplinary policy was appropriately followed, two felt it was not. Subsequently the reaffirmed the action of the mayor.
“Notice is hereby given that Richard Johnson, the plaintiff in this matter, and the appellant in the matter of Richard Johnson, former Chief of Police vs. they City of Deer Lodge Police Commission, hereby appeals the findings of fact and conclusions of law and order, dated December 11, 2019 (exhibit A), to the Montana Third Judicial Court,” states the February 11 appeal.
see Appeal page 14
Former Deer Lodge Chief of Police, Richard Johnson, has appealed to Montana’s Third District Judicial District Court regarding his termination and the subsequent hearing before the Deer Lodge Police Commission last year.
The case, which was filed on February 11, states, “This matter is based upon the discharge of Mr. Johnson on or around May 28, 2019, by Mayor Caleb Burton, and a subsequent hearing held on or around November 7, 2019, before the City Police Commission of Deer Lodge Montana.”
The hearing before the police commission lasted nearly seven hours and included multiple exhibits of evidence, testimony from a number of people and deliberation by the commission as they came to the decision that they agreed with the mayor’s termination of Johnson. Johnson had alleged that the discharge was not supported by good cause, the disciplinary procedure was not followed correctly and the mayor abused his discretion.
At the time Johnson sought the payment of his salary and benefits until retirement age at 65.
Much of the hearing at the time centered around performance evaluations of the officers under Johnson’s supervision. Johnson alleged that he thought his work on the evaluations were adequate, while Burton contended that he had set out his expectations to the police chief and he had not done as instructed and the evaluations were not in compliance with policy and procedures.
After much evidence and testimony the police commission determined unanimously there was good reason for the termination and the mayor had the authority to remove the chief. In regards to the question of whether disciplinary policy was appropriately followed, two felt it was not. Subsequently the reaffirmed the action of the mayor.
“Notice is hereby given that Richard Johnson, the plaintiff in this matter, and the appellant in the matter of Richard Johnson, former Chief of Police vs. they City of Deer Lodge Police Commission, hereby appeals the findings of fact and conclusions of law and order, dated December 11, 2019 (exhibit A), to the Montana Third Judicial Court,” states the February 11 appeal.
see Appeal page 14
Settlement reached on $4.1 million billby Michael Stafford
A settlement has been reached between Powell County and the United States Treasury Department concerning a cleanup at the Milwaukee Roundhouse site which occurred in 2011. On February 11 the county commissioners signed the settlement which allowed the county to pay $200,000 in order to conclude the matter. Previously the government had sought $2.9 million for the cleanup costs, which over time increased to $4.1 million as fees and interest piled up. According to information provided by Powell County, the $200,000 will be paid from the Powell County Commissioners’ Awards and Indemnity Fund and the money had been set aside several years ago in anticipation of a settlement opportunity. “(I)t was a big relief to have this matter settled. It was not easy getting calls from a collections agency asking how I wanted to pay $4 million dollars,” stated Powell County Attorney Kathryn McEnery in a press release, “to understand how the problem was created and how to solve it, I got into the file an spoke with everyone I could find who knew the history of the site, the story of the leak, and the negotiations with the different government entities. I spoke with both of the prior county attorneys, with the commissioners, with the planning department, read stacks of documents, and researched federal regulations.” see Big page 10 |
Many come out to support Billy
by Cathy Harding
A spaghetti dinner and silent auction at the Corner Bar raised funds for young Billy Burt who is facing spinal surgery to treat his severe scoliosis. Said Carrie Lease of the Corner Bar, “Amy is our long-time bartender, and it is her son who is going through the surgery. With her missing work and having to take him to appointments and the things that he is going through, we wanted to do a little fundraiser which turned into a big fundraiser, which is great.” Burt’s mother, Amy Thomas, was visibly touched by the support. “It’s overwhelming in a way,” she said. Thomas said she asked if they could do something, like maybe putting a donation jar at the bar. She was overwhelmed—and very thankful—for the community support. A variety of items were donated by community members for the silent auction. Burt, who enjoys photography, included some of his pictures in the silent auction. All funds raised went directly to Burt’s medical treatment and related expenses. Lease thanked the community for their donations and support. “We’ve got a lot of support from everybody. It’s great that the community does that.” Burt is hoping to finish the end of the school year before his surgery. His mom said that’s the kind of kid he is, but surgery will be scheduled as soon as possible. After surgery, Burt faces a long recovery. He expects to be in the hospital for 10 days to a month after surgery and will then begin physical therapy. |
More on this and the other issues grabbing this week's headlines
can be found in our print edition, out every Wednesday.
can be found in our print edition, out every Wednesday.
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