Sublette sheriff faces felonies

The Sublette County Sheriff was booked and released from the Sweetwater County Detention Center Tuesday afternoon.

The sheriff, Stephen Haskell, faces five charges, three of which are felonies. The three felonies are fraud charges accusing Haskell of using county funds to pay personal debts, while the misdemeanors accuse him of unlawfully acting as an elected official before taking his oath of office Jan. 5, 2015.

Haskell’s bond was set at $10,000 cash or surety and a court hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 11 at 1:30 p.m. at a circuit court in Pinedale.

According to court documents, the Sublette County Board of County Commissioners requested a Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation probe into Haskell’s actions on Sept. 9, 2015. The investigation focused on allegations that Haskell had used county funds to purchase uniforms before he was sworn in as the county sheriff. Documents state Haskell had previously acknowledged the purchase as being his personal debt because he had ordered the uniforms before being sworn in and did not have the authority to make decisions for the office.

The DCI investigation revealed Sublette County paid more than $11,000 of debt Haskell took on for the purchase. DCI also investigated allegations revolving around a trip to Baltimore. Prior to seeking approval for travel expenses, Haskell asked the commissioners to covers costs associated with travel and lodging, saying he would stay with a friend and would not submit hotel costs in Baltimore. DCI’s report claims that statement was untrue as the lodging was provided by the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police.

On Sept. 14, investigators spoke with Sublette County Clerk Mary Lankford. Lankford disclosed a number of invoices from Creative Culture Insignia of Ogden, Utah, and Skaggs Uniform of Salt Lake City. Haskell requested payment of the invoices as expenses incurred after Jan. 5, 2015. The vouchers were approved by the Sublette County Commissioners during their Feb. 17 meeting. Investigators also reviewed a recording of the Jan. 6, 2015, commissioners meeting, where commissioners had asked why the officers had appeared in new uniforms during Haskell’s swearing in the day before. The commissioners told Haskell that any items purchased before his swearing in would be his responsibility, not that of the county. Haskell denied receiving anything aside from the uniforms his command staff wore at the swearing in, which he told commissioners he ordered three weeks prior to his swearing in. He also denied ordering anything else, including badges.

While reviewing a recording of the Feb. 17 meeting, investigators heard discussion between Haskell and the commissioners, who specifically asked Haskell if any of the items invoiced were ordered before he was sworn in. Haskell told the group he would pay for any items ordered before his swearing in and agreed to pay $2,993 for items he ordered before Jan. 5. Investigators discovered Haskell did do that, as the $11,797.50 approved excluded that $2,993 amount. While allegations of Haskell attempting to change dates on the bills were discussed as well, Haskell told the commissioners he would pay for the uniforms ordered before Jan. 5, 2015, out of his own pocket.

DCI discovered a recording of a phone conversation between Haskell and a representative of Skaggs Uniform made either Jan. 8 or 9, 2015. In that conversation, Haskell states the commissioners were upset he ordered products prior to being sworn in and allegedly requested the dates on the invoice be changed to after Jan. 5, 2015, so the county could pay for the uniforms. Investigators spoke with Lacy Smith of Skaggs Uniform, who explained that an invoice is created whenever an order is taken and the original information would not change regardless of if new paperwork was generated. She noticed the invoices supporting county vouchers were dated after Jan. 5, 2015, but the original orders took place on Nov. 21, 2014, and Dec. 12, 2014. Smith also confirmed the phone call that took place on Jan. 8 or 9, 2015, and said she produced new invoices based on Haskell’s request. Those invoices accounted for $757 of the total amount paid by Sublette County.

Investigators also spoke with Gordon Philips of Skaggs Uniform, who confirmed the dates of Haskell’s orders and said Haskell had picked up the orders Dec. 30, 2014, and also confirmed the dates in their system were changed to reflect a Jan. 5, 2015, date. Philips also noted the invoices were consecutively numbered, but showed different dates, which he said was unlikely because of the amount of business Skaggs Uniform does.

Investigators interviewed another Skaggs Uniform employee, Eric Dietz, who also stated Haskell asked for a change on invoice dates because Haskell had “screwed up.” Dietz also recalled Haskell telling him he would be responsible for the bill if the order took place before Jan. 5. He said the call would have taken place Jan. 9, 2015.

On Sept. 29, 2015, investigators spoke with Rochelle Groveau of Creative Cultural Insignia. The investigators told Groveau the county invoices showed the badges were shipped the day after they were ordered. Groveau said it usually takes the company six weeks to ship an order and stated that Haskell contacted the company and requested the dates changed on the invoices. The invoices from Creative Cultural Insignia account for $11,000 of the amount paid by Sublette County commissioners Feb. 17, 2015. Groveau also said she questioned Haskell’s order as he wasn’t in office yet, but she claims he said he had permission to make the order. She also recalled a phone conversation with Haskell being upset the badges wouldn’t be finished by Jan. 1, 2015.

Groveau also provided investigators with an email sent Nov. 10, 2014, inquiring about uniform patches, as well as several emails regarding the designs of new patches, badges and name plates.

An email sent by Haskell Nov. 13, 2014, ordered directed the patches and badges be ordered and on Nov. 15, 2014, Haskell sent a followup email to order the uniform name plates. A second employee at Creative Cultural Insignia, Louanne Daz, confirmed Groveau’s statement about Haskell having authority to make purchases, despite she and Groveau having concerns about him not being in office yet.

Haskell allegedly stated to the commissioners on Jan. 6, 2015, items ordered from Creative Cultural Insignia were items he had not ordered and DCI interviews with Sublette County commissioners indicated they would not have agreed to pay the invoices if Haskell hasn’t reassured them that they were ordered after he was sworn in.

On Sept. 15, 2015, DCI investigators interviewed Haskell, who said he paid for any items ordered before Jan. 5, 2015.

He told investigators he paid $3,200 out of his own pocket and stated all other orders paid by the county after he was sworn in were paid using his office budget.

He said he told vendors not to order anything until after Jan. 5, 2015, and did not admit to ordering anything before that date, insisting he did not order the badges until after he was sworn in.