Letter: Sheriff doesn't deserve 3rd term

(This letter was edited for space.)

Dear Editor,

Upon reading the recent article about the Bairoil mayor being charged with nepotism I felt compelled to write in with my own experience with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

I had been employed as a deputy with the sheriff’s department for 13 years. In 2007, I witnessed the brutal beating of a restrained juvenile male by three other deputies. This altercation was caught on surveillance cameras. I was immediately considered a witness. I was approached by the jail administrator at that time. He assured me he understood the position I was in and suggested that maybe I do not elaborate on details or possibly just answer exactly what I would be asked by the special prosecutor and not volunteer any information. I asked him if he was asking me to lie and he assured me that no he did not want to ask me to lie but to think about the long term affects this would have not only on the department but on the careers of the officers involved. I was interviewed by the special prosecutor and answered all questions truthfully.

From that point forward I was clearly “out of the nest.” I did what was morally right and have paid for it dearly every day since.

Unfortunately, shortly after this time I became involved in an inappropriate relationship with another deputy. This carried on for several years and primarily involved texting. I finally came to my senses when I learned of another deputy who had also been involved with this female. I promptly broke things off and dedicated myself to saving my marriage. Over the next year, I continually received inappropriate photos and texts from this deputy.

After receiving yet another photo and getting nowhere with my supervisors I contacted an attorney, who advised me to go to human resources. I did so in 2013.

The other male deputy who was now experiencing the same behaviors also went to human resources.

After much prodding, the county finally had an outside firm investigate. During this investigation, I was asked if I had ever sent the sheriff or any other employees rude, mean or harassing emails or texts. I was told the sheriff had received a negative email and that he thought I had sent it. Everyone who knows me knows how outspoken I am. I would never hide behind anonymity.

During the investigation, this deputy in question was promoted to sergeant. Despite the investigators findings of truth to our allegations, she was never even reprimanded.

Later in 2013, a video of a lieutenant wrecking her county suburban into a parked car while texting was released to the media. A few weeks pass and I am again interviewed and again maintain my innocence. Shortly after, investigators from the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigations showed up with a search warrant for my home computer. I was then placed on administrative leave.

Next, I was charged with cyber bullying. This stemmed from emails that were sent back and forth between a fantasy football league I was in. Example, if the Denver Broncos lost, we would all give the Bronco fans a hard time. I was subject to this more often than not because my team is the St. Louis Rams.

That charge was later dismissed for lack of evidence. There was nothing on my home computer. I was then charged with identity theft. This stems from me putting a coworkers email address into a few funny newsletter sites. Again, in jest.

This is something I know takes place all over the department. Another deputy recently retired and his email was bombed by coworkers. On Dec. 19, 2013, I received a letter of termination. It sited me having an affair. If deputies were fired for affairs, half the department would be wiped out. Also, the female deputy was never even disciplined and was found to have had numerous affairs.

Second, for releasing the video of the wreck to the media, which was never proved and sources at the paper even confirmed it wasn’t given to them by me.

Third, for a video of courtroom conversation where they claim my hand brushed against another deputies chest during a conversation, in which we were both animated and talking about football and even walked away by patting each other on the back and smiling. They labeled this assault. If there was a video of me assaulting someone, I would have been charged with that.

Fourth, for identity theft for sending a few emails links to a coworker.

The point of this story is, if you go up against Sheriff Richard Haskell, he will use every resource available to him to take you out. It is a complete and total abuse of power and a waste of tax-payer money. There are real crimes going on out there and resources are being used on frivolous charges like these and like the mayor of Bairoil for nepotism.

There are so many deputies who are still employed who have been charged with very serious crimes. But they worship at the Alter of Haskell and he uses whatever resources necessary to retain them.

The level of corruption is similar to the mafia. They either “make” you or “take” you out.

Let’s not forget this is the same Sheriff who used tax payer money to buy $4,000 worth of scrap booking supplies for his wife. The same sheriff who gave his son $47,000 to guard a incapacitated suspect in a Utah hospital.

“There’s no laws in Wyoming really, preventing elected officials from steering business to relatives, I mean almost none,” special prosecutor Mike Blonigen said in a report he made after his investigation of Sheriff Haskell.

“It’s not unusual for elected officials to have quite a bit of discretion about how they spend their money,” Blonigen said. “It’s generally considered a political remedy — if you don’t like the way they’re spending your money, then you vote them out the next time.”

Blonigen wrote to DCI earlier this month informing the agency that his investigation revealed no evidence of criminal conduct. However, in the letter, Blonigen stated he saw no explanation for the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office decision to spend money to guard the man at the Utah hospital. Blonigen stated that the man was a suspect in a homicide and then apparently severely injured himself in a suicide attempt before he was taken to the University of Utah for medical care. Blonigen stated that the man was never in custody during his stay at the hospital, didn’t apparently pose a threat to anyone and, “at no time did the state of Wyoming have authority to detain anyone within the State of Utah.”

“It is beyond comprehension why a county would expend $50,000 to guard a prisoner which was not theirs,” Blonigen stated.

“The question should not be whether the money should have been expended upon a company owned by Sheriff Haskell’s son, but whether the money should have been expended at all,” Blonigen wrote. (The Billings Gazette, March 21, 2012)

Also begs to question why Haskell did not offer this to actual Sweetwater County deputies, as they have always guarded inmates like this in the past.

This is the same sheriff who this past February was reprimanded by letter and asked to stop using county resources for his campaign. In 2008, he asked for a housing allowance. No other sheriff has asked for this.

It was written in years ago and offered as part of a house that was near the courthouse. That house no longer exists. So he wanted the difference paid out to him. Your tax dollars hard at work. Yet, year-after-year overtime is cut and raises are few and far between.

I have always voted party line, always Republican. If I am ever uncertain about a candidate I always default to the Republican.

This election, I can assure you I will not be giving that Republican my vote. You as citizens and tax payers deserve to have a sheriff who has integrity and who would never stoop to these levels to get even with people.

I can assure you this man acts one way in public and entirely different behind closed doors. Remember that saying, “where there is smoke, there is fire.”

Vote wisely and vote for the best interest of Sweetwater County.

Gerald Miller

Green River