Official quits in e-mail scandal

Rick Baughman, the embattled chief deputy prosecutor for Kootenai County, resigned effective Thursday at the conclusion of an investigation into sexual harassment allegations involving former female co-workers.

Prosecutor Bill Douglas read a brief statement in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. “Mr. Baughman voluntarily resigned effective today, Feb. 1, 2007, prior to reviewing any investigation document or written report,” Douglas said. “The law does not allow me to comment any further on personnel.”

An announcement will be made soon about who will replace Baughman as the county’s No. 2 prosecutor, Douglas said.

Baughman had been on paid leave since Nov. 6. His daughter said he wasn’t home to comment early Thursday evening. His attorney, John Redal, declined comment after the announcement, first reported at spokesmanreview.com.

Douglas issued the statement after completion of an independent investigation into the sexual harassment allegations. County officials confirmed the investigation had been completed.Two former female colleagues accused Baughman of inappropriate touching, lewd comments and offers of dates. The investigation was expanded to include county e-mail use after the revelation that Baughman and one of the women, former victims advocate Laura Bonneville, exchanged lewd e-mails.

The e-mails – some of which include attachments depicting bestiality, oral sex and a toddler with his genitals exposed, among other graphic images – were also sent and received by other county employees.

For instance, a slideshow of 12 explicit pictures, including a close-up of female genitalia and numerous nude women in a locker room shower, was sent by a former sheriff’s employee to a sheriff’s lieutenant, a sergeant and two deputies, and an employee of the public defender’s office. The sheriff’s sergeant forwarded the photos to Bonneville, who sent them to Baughman.

Baughman had forwarded several explicit e-mails to Bonneville and others in the prosecutor’s office, including former legal secretary Kathy Adams, the other woman who has accused Baughman of harassment.

The county’s insurer, Idaho Counties Risk Management Program, hired an attorney who retained human resources consultant Kandy Weaver to investigate the allegations. Weaver did not return calls Thursday.

County Attorney Erika Grubbs said the county will not receive a copy of the report, but she said Weaver is sharing her recommendations with the county.

“We are assured that we have the full information from the investigator and we are going to work in concert with (Douglas) and his office, to the extent that he invites us to do so, to do everything we can to ensure Kootenai County is a great place to work, and hostile work claims aren’t materializing in the future,” Grubbs said.

She said the county takes the allegations seriously.

“If there are any problems in the county organization, anywhere, we will work with our supervisors and elected officials to help correct the problems,” she said.

Kootenai County Commission Chairman Rick Currie said he couldn’t comment on Baughman’s resignation because the commission doesn’t oversee the prosecutor’s office.

“I’m obviously glad it’s over,” Currie said.

He added that he didn’t know what measures Douglas would take to ensure the prosecutor’s office doesn’t have more sexual harassment complaints or hostile work environment issues. Currie said the county will let elected officials, like Douglas, know that resources are available for training.

As for the employees overseen by the commission, Currie said the county already has mandatory sexual harassment training. He said the commission also has advised its employees of Internet and e-mail use policies. Currie said that happened as soon as it was learned that Baughman was sending explicit e-mails to co-workers and other county employees.

“From the commissioners’ departments I don’t know how we can make it any clearer,” Currie said.

Newly elected Commissioner Todd Tondee said he still thinks the county needs to review all its policies and ensure it will prevent future incidents and complaints. He said the commission likely won’t ever see the investigator’s reports but hopes that any policy suggestions are relayed.

“We need to make sure it’s a sound policy,” Tondee said.

Douglas declined to comment on whether any policy changes were made in his department as a result of the allegations against Baughman and explicit e-mails exchanged by his employees and others in the county.

Sheriff Rocky Watson said he had not been informed of the completion of the investigation, but said he promptly reviewed the questionable e-mails when they were first made public. He said he disciplined some employees, but none was terminated.

The sheriff banned employees from using county e-mail for anything that wasn’t work-related.

Though Douglas hasn’t announced Baughman’s replacement, one contender may be Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Denise Rosen.

Rosen was hired in January after the resignation of Deputy Prosecutor Reese Sterrett, who took a job with Spokane County. With Baughman’s resignation, Rosen is now the most senior attorney under Douglas.

She was the elected prosecutor for Nez Perce County from 1992-97, was chief deputy prosecutor in Clearwater County from 1999-2002 and most recently worked in private practice in Lewiston.

In a recent interview, Rosen declined to comment on the allegations of sexual harassment in the prosecutor’s office. She said her first impressions have been positive.

“The office is a good office,” she said. “Bill is a man of high integrity. The staff is all pleasant.”

Asked if she was interested in becoming chief deputy, Rosen said she’s happy with her position but added: “Whatever opportunities arrive in this office, I’m certainly here and willing to look at them.”