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Sheriff’s Office employees sue Doyle, 3 others

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MISSOULA — Controversy over allegations of corruption in the Lake County Sheriff's Department came to a head last week when Sheriff’s Deputies Steve Kendley, Michael Gehl, Ben Woods and Levi Read and former deputy Terry Leonard filed a complaint Feb. 21 in United States District Court.

The men are seeking monetary damages and a jury trial against Lake County Sheriff Jay Doyle, Undersheriff Dan Yonkin, Lt. Mike Sargeant, and Deputy Dan Duryee for alleged violations of their Constitutional rights and the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act.

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Richard R. Buley, said, “They know this (suit) will jeopardize their whole careers, but they felt it was the right thing to do.

"They’ve tried to get somebody to do something — from the Lake County Attorney up to State Attorney General ... It’s always difficult to get law enforcement to investigate law enforcement.”

The complaint alleges the plaintiffs have been reprimanded in their employment, have suffered demotion, have been denied promotion and have been subjected to a hostile work environment.

In a press release responding to the lawsuit, Lake County Sheriff Jay Doyle said he had not yet been served, and counsel for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office had not had an opportunity to review the documents that have been filed.

“It is premature for me to discuss the contents of this lawsuit at this time,” Doyle said.

Kendley, supported by the other plaintiffs, ran for Lake County Sheriff in 2010 as an Independent candidate against then-Undersheriff Jay Doyle, the Republican candidate. Because of their support for Kendley, the plaintiffs, including Kendley, say they were subjected to retaliation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the defendants.

The plaintiffs also made complaints about Doyle, Sargeant and Duryee belonging to an illegal poaching group known as the Coyote Club, LCSO officers stealing ammunition from the county for their own personal use, alleged altering of a LCSO firearm from a rifle to a machine gun and Duryee’s alleged false representation of service in the Marines.

The complaint also alleges that Leonard’s Fourth and 14th Amendment rights were violated. Leonard ran a website “designed to inform potential voters of the ongoing unlawful conduct and corruption taking place in the LCSO before the 2010 sheriff’s election.” Lake County officers seized his computers and equipment on Sept. 29, 2010, just before the election, and his property was not returned until Feb. 10, 2011. The complaint also alleges that Yonkin unlawfully downloaded Leonard’s hard drive information on a separate hard drive. No charges were filed against Leonard.

A Sheriff’s Office employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said there wasn’t any noticeable difference in morale among workers at this point.

In a press release, Doyle said he was "disappointed" the deputies chose to file a lawsuit. "All the deputies are represented by the APSCME Union. A significant function of the union is to resolve employee complaints and grievances — a process that has been bypassed in this instance in favor of a lawsuit seeking unspecified monetary damages,” he said.

Buley said the officers did utilize the grievance procedure but were not able to resolve the issues. The grievance process is set up to addresses contractual and employment issues but has nothing to do with reporting other law enforcement officers, he explained.

“It has and continues to be standard practice for allegations to be investigated by outside, independent law enforcement agencies,” Doyle added. “As your sheriff, I will continue to ensure that such allegations are acted upon promptly and fairly. Unresolved allegations against any officer tarnish the integrity of all.”

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