Sheriff Jay Doyle releases statement: disappointed with lawsuit

In response to the recent lawsuit filed against myself and several members of the Sheriff's Office by former employee Terry Leonard, and current deputies Steven Kendley, Michael Gehl, Ben Woods and Levi Read in the United States District Court for the District of Montana on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, I have the following statement:

Though the complaint was filed and accompanied by a press release to several media sources, I have not yet been served and counsel for the Sheriff's Office has not had an opportunity to review the documents that have been filed. It is premature for me to discuss the contents of this lawsuit at this time.

I am disappointed that these employees have chosen to file a lawsuit. All the deputies are represented by the AFSCME Union. 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.

I take very seriously any allegations of wrongdoing and unlawful acts committed by law enforcement. To that end, there are procedures in place to ensure that such complaints are thoroughly investigated. As part of those procedures, it has and continues to be standard practice for allegations to be investigated by outside, independent law enforcement agencies.

As your Sheriff, I will continue to ensure that such allegations are acted upon promptly and fairly. Unresolved allegations against any officer tarnish the integrity of all.

Respecfully,

Jay Doyle, Lake County Sheriff