Lawsuit adds to legal actions in Lake County

Lake County Sheriff Jay Doyle said Wednesday it’s “premature” for him to comment on a recent lawsuit filed against him and others alleging retaliation for attempts to expose corruption, but he expressed his disappointment with the legal action.

“They have not been retaliated against,” Doyle told The Associated Press on Wednesday. He said the legal action sidestepped normal channels.

 “All the deputies are represented by the AFSCME Union,” Doyle said in a prepared statement. “A significant function of the union is to resolve employee complaints and grievances — a process that has been bypassed in this instance in favor of a lawsuit seeking unspecified monetary damages.”

Doyle said there are procedures in place to ensure complaints are investigated appropriately by “outside, independent law enforcement agencies,” and that he would continue to make sure any allegations are handled promptly and fairly.

“Unresolved allegations against any officer tarnish the integrity of all,” Doyle said.

He said he has not yet been served with the lawsuit, and the department’s attorney has not had a chance to review it.

Five current or former members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Missoula against Doyle and three other Sheriff’s Office officials.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by Deputies Levi Read and Ben Woods, officers Mike Gehl and Steve Kendley and former officer Terry Leonard. It names Doyle, Undersheriff Dan Yonkin, Detective Mike Sargeant and Deputy Dan Duryee as defendants.

The plaintiffs said they were reprimanded, demoted, denied promotions and subjected to a hostile work environment while trying to expose what they called law-breaking and corruption.

The lawsuit was filed as the department faces several state investigations into behavior by its officers and after a contested 2010 election in which Doyle defeated Kendley.

The lawsuit alleges Doyle, Sargeant and Duryee are members of an illegal poaching organization called the “Coyote Club.” The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks investigated allegations of poaching among officers. No charges have been filed.

The state Department of Justice has undertaken separate investigations of Doyle for obstruction of justice and of former Undersheriff Karey Reynolds for perjury.

Meanwhile, the Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council has multiple ongoing investigations into Lake County law enforcement, including Duryee’s claim that he served in the U.S. Marines.

Attorney Richard Buley of Missoula said his clients filed the lawsuit because they felt the allegations of wrongdoing within the department were not being sufficiently addressed.

Doyle said that none of the plaintiffs have talked to him about the issues.