Juvenile Corrections Director Violated Policies, Probe Finds Two Former Employees Also Named In Investigative Report

State investigators found violations of department policy and state personnel regulations in the performance of Juvenile Corrections Director Michael Johnson and two former employees.

The extensively edited report on the inquiry, finally released by Gov. Phil Batt late Thursday although it had bee n prepared on Jan. 28, indicated that:

Political pressure was apparently exerted to get one of the employees hired.

Employees at a Rexburg facility under contract with the state to care for juvenile delinquents were repeated intimidated by Johnson’s representatives.

That same facility was coerced by Johnson’s staff into giving one of its former employees a letter of recommendation.

The department negligently violated hiring regulations.

The department acted at least inefficiently if not negligently in canceling the contract with the Rexburg facility after Ken Benfield, a friend of Johnson’s regional liaison, Roger Clark, was suspended.

Johnson submitted his resignation to Batt last week, effective March 1, and Batt said only that he had committed serious errors in judgment on personnel and the awarding of contracts.

Clark submitted his resignation earlier this week, also effective March 1, and Benfield lost his job last week when the money ran out.

Although names and means of identifying the investigative targets were blacked out in the report, the report by Special Agent In Charge Craig Peterson of the Law Enforcement Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau said that Johnson apparently explained how the problems occurred by simply saying, “I had the vision but not the experience.”

Peterson described the prevailing situation at the department as “If you were a friend, it was good. If you weren’t, it wasn’t, and you could be written up and would be written up.”

Johnson apparently told investigators that he acted with “the best of intentions, trying to get things done,” and he was guilty of “foolishness.”

The report recommended that the department establish comprehensive employee policies that are read and understood, that supervision of district liaisons be intensified and that the department consider providing employees with the Life Skills Training other state agencies provide.