Documents: Litany of allegations prompted investigation into chief

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Records related to the resignation of Perryville's police chief were released Thursday by the city as the result of a judge's ruling. They tell at least part of the story.

The former chief, Keith Tarrillion, told even more.

On March 19, Tarrillion's resignation was approved unanimously by Perryville's board of aldermen. Allegations of misconduct made in February by a police department employee against the chief had been looked into by the city through the work of a hired private investigator. The investigation found a questionable police report containing information on a 2010 property damage incident at Tarrillion's home. Tarrillion has admitted filling out the narrative of the report, which had another officer's name on it, but said what he did wasn't illegal or uncommon.

But a report related to a Feb. 6 meeting released Thursday that detailed claims made against Tarrillion show allegations of a much different nature.

Discussed during the meeting, with the city's attorney, city administrator, human resource officer and subordinate present, were claims that Tarrillion engaged in "unethical behavior, sexual harassment in the workplace, inability to enforce department policy due to sexual relations in the workplace and outside the workplace, misappropriation of city funds and different sets of rules for employees across the board."

It was this report that started the ball rolling on an investigation which led to completely different claims against the former chief that he acted improperly by supplying a narrative for a police report with another officer's name on it.

Within an hour after the city released the records, which included the initial complaint, minutes from the board of aldermen meetings where Tarrillion was discussed, a memorandum of understanding regarding his resignation and the former chief issued a statement in his own defense, and later was interviewed by the Southeast Missourian.

"I know there are people out there who can prove those allegations are false, and hopefully one day they will come forward and tell the appropriate people, if they haven't already," Tarrillion said.

Circuit Judge Ben Lewis on Thursday gave the city permission to release some of the documents related to the resignation in response to an open records request sent to the city by the Southeast Missourian on March 13. A temporary restraining order was placed on the city last week after the request was made by the newspaper and Tarrillion's attorney, Frank C. "Trae" Bertrand III, filed a petition with the court on behalf of his client.

Not all records requested by the newspaper were released -- the report compiled by Paul Nenninger, the investigator hired by the city, was determined by Lewis to be a closed record until the investigation becomes inactive under Missouri Sunshine Law specifications. Lewis said the investigation included potential criminal liability, and thus classified it as an investigative report under the open records and meetings law.

Nenninger was paid $100 per hour for his work.

Thomas Ludwig, the city's attorney, expressed to the judge during a court hearing about the open-records request on Wednesday in Perry County that the city felt the fight had become only between Tarrillion and his attorney and the newspaper, and that the city was ready to release the records pursuant to the Missouri Sunshine Law.

Perryville Mayor, Debbie Gahan, said in a news release that accompanied the released records Thursday that "rumors and innuendo continue to swirl around this process, questioning everything from the validity of the allegations to the city's motive and intentions for investigating those allegations."

Tarrillion, in his statement, denied most, if not all, the allegations made during the Feb. 6 meeting, records of which show Nenninger was hired to investigate after a Feb. 13 closed session meeting of the board.

"The entire 'investigation' was conducted with one outcome in mind, to find reason to remove me from office," Tarrillion wrote in the statement. "Mr. Nenninger simply wrote down rumors and did no investigating. In fact, no statements made by police department personnel in my favor -- and there were such statements -- but they were not included in the summaries."

Nenninger was emailed Tarrillion's statement Thursday evening and a phone message was left at his home. He responded by email that he needed to talk to Ludwig before speaking to the Southeast Missourian.

Tarrillion said the initial complaint, nor a meeting he had with city on Feb. 14 when he was presented with the allegations, contained any mention of the misconduct he was later accused of when the investigation was complete. The investigation, according to the city, found Tarrillion filed a police report with another officer's name to obtain almost $5,700 as part of an insurance claim.

Tarrillion said he did not know about the claim related to the false report until after he hired Bertrand the week of Feb. 18 -- and only did so because he was denied being interviewed by the investigator after he had made three requests. All other members of the department, according to the city, were interviewed during the course of the investigation.

The Southeast Missourian was unable to reach the city's aldermen, mayor and city attorney late Thursday. Messages were left at numbers listed for aldermen Larry Riney, Tom Guth, Randy Leible and Gary Schumer late Thursday. Calls were placed to numbers listed for aldermen Prince Hudson and Curt Buerck and Mayor Gahan but there was no way to leave a message. A message also was left at a listed number for city attorney Thomas Ludwig.

Gahan said in the release:

"Ironically, we are both saddened and relieved to share with you, the general public, the burden we have been carrying for these last several weeks. We were presented with some very difficult information and have worked diligently to protect the city, our employees and the larger community in the best way we knew. We look forward to seeing this through to a resolution and rebuilding a stronger department."

Allegations of harassment and others aren't mentioned in any detail in the documents released Thursday other than in the accounting of the single meeting on Feb. 6.

When the city first announced the investigation and Tarrillion's leave from the department on Feb. 20, Ludwig said the investigation would likely be complete the following Monday. Instead, the investigation took longer -- on March 12 the city released the findings, naming only the police report on property damage.

In the days leading up to the release of the investigation findings, Tarrillion weighed whether to resign.

"I've been quiet, sat back, let the city present stuff week after week about this, and I feel that I've very cooperative and tried to let this investigation take its course," Tarrillion said during a phone interview Thursday. "And honestly, when it began, I felt that I would have had the opportunity to defend myself, and was told that from the beginning, so I strongly felt that after a week of this investigation, that I would have been back at work, because I didn't do the things I was being accused of. I had every intention of returning to work until it was getting to the point that I was beginning to feel betrayed by everyone."

So why did he decide to leave his post?

"After knowing that some of these guys that are involved in this were what considered at the time my best friends -- guys I went on trips with, camping, vacationed with, family functions, that they could make up these allegations against me," Tarrillion said, "the simple fact is that these allegations were made against me because I had to start disciplining some of these officers, and they resented me for that.

"For me, it really hurt, to know that they would do something like this. If I went back to work, I would never be able to trust anyone at the police department again. I knew that each and every day that I went to work I would be looking over my shoulder, worried about what was going to happen next. Going to work every day, with that feeling in your mind, having that thought in your head, would have been miserable. Even though I loved being a police officer, I couldn't live like that," he said.

"I also felt that the city didn't give me the opportunity, after 20 years of service, to defend myself," Tarrillion continued. "I had an unblemished record and nothing but positive reviews from the state, from the public. Numerous awards for my work. I just felt betrayed, not only by the officers, but by the city."

Under the terms of the resignation, Tarrillion will continue to be paid and receive benefits from the city until April 1, 2014, or until he's charged with a criminal offense related to the police report the city has said it believes Tarrillion filed fraudulently.

If Tarrillion is charged and exonerated, he'll receive back pay, according to the resignation agreement. If found guilty, Tarrillion will reimburse the city for any pay after March 13 of this year.

Tarrillion also agreed to "make reasonable efforts" to find other employment, and if he's successful, the city will reduce its payments to him by the amount received from his other employment. He's also barred from contacting any city employee or seeking access to employee statements unless needed in defense of a criminal charge.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

215 N. West St., Perryville, MO