By Rachel Riley, The Gazette
El Paso County will pay nearly $68,000 to settle a sexual harassment complaint made by a Sheriff’s Office employee who claimed she then faced retaliation after reporting it.
The payout, approved by county commissioners last week, marks the first time the county will spend taxpayer money on a settlement for employment-related claims against Sheriff Bill Elder’s office, according to county spokesman Dave Rose.
The details of the charge, filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April, are not public record. Under the terms of the agreement, the county denied liability for the allegations and maintained that the settlement was made to avoid rising legal fees that would likely have exceeded the payout.
The county has racked up more than $600,000 in legal fees, investigation costs and settlements connected to employment complaints that originated during the tenure of ex-Sheriff Terry Maketa, whose final year in office was wrought with scandal. The former lawman was acquitted last month of two felony witness-tampering charges and one count of misdemeanor official misconduct, but jurors weren’t able to agree on verdicts for four remaining corruption-related counts. A retrial was set for Oct. 3 on charges of extortion and official misconduct.
Read the full story at Gazette.com.
