Former Ronan assistant police chief settles lawsuit
A former Ronan assistant police chief has settled a wrongful discharge lawsuit outside of court.
On June 2, a lawsuit against the Ronan Police Department and City of Ronan was dismissed by Lake County District Court Judge James Manley.
Former Ronan Assistant Police Chief Art Walgren’s attorney Santana Caballero filed a motion at the end of May asking that the case be dismissed because parties had settled out of court.
“It’s a confidential resolution,” Caballero said. “But he is happy with the resolution.”
In a damage estimate submitted earlier this year, Walgren claimed that loss of employment had cost him more than $82,000 in lost wages, retirement, and health insurance. He also claimed that the city should have to pay for him finding a new place to live.
Walgren filed the suit 2012, six years after he was originally hired by the department in 2006. He claimed in the lawsuit that he was promoted to assistant police chief within nine months.
“During the course of his employment, Walgren observed and/or learned of officer misconduct including sexual intercourse with a guest ride-along, disputes between officers, falsifying information provided to the state of Montana and violations of hospital patient confidentiality and privacy on officers on shift,” the complaint alleged.
Walgren claimed in the case that when he reported an occurrence where officers allegedly checked the records of hospital patients not under investigation to former Police Chief Dan Wadsworth, Wadsworth removed Walgren from the case and did not punish the officers.
Walgren believed he was demoted in March 2011 and eventually fired in after he cooperated with the Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council. The council investigated Wadsworth for misconduct and eventually stripped him of his law enforcement credentials for 15 years. The council determined that Wadsworth had not properly certified his son Trevor as a law enforcement officer.
Wadsworth claimed that Walgren had stolen the paperwork proving Trevor’s certification. Walgren said that Wadsworth’s allegations were all lies.
The City of Ronan denied in its response to Walgren’s lawsuit that any wrongdoing took place.
Walgren has since moved to North Dakota and is the police chief in Watford City.
He still owns a home and five acres in the Ronan area, according to property records.
Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.