Missouri prison head won't seek to work under next governor

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's Department of Corrections director is withdrawing his request to stay on under the next governor following calls for him to leave, he said in emails obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.

George Lombardi's change of plans comes after reports of a culture of harassment and employee lawsuits that drew criticism from state lawmakers.

Kansas City's alternative weekly newspaper The Pitch first reported between 2012 and 2016, Missouri paid more than $7.5 million from its Legal Defense Fund on settlements and judgments related to those alleging sexual and other types of harassment and retaliation.

Lombardi's emails show he had hoped to continue leading the agency under Republican Gov.-elect Eric Greitens once Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's term ends in January.

But Lombardi told attorney Lucinda Luetkemeyer, general counsel for Greitens' transition team and his pick for the job once he takes office, he was abandoning the plan after losing "complete support from both sides of the aisle."

In an agency-wide email, Lombardi said he and other staffers "evolved this Department into a national model that is respected throughout the country."

"I now walk away with as much dignity as I can muster and with the advice to each and every one of you to stand tall and have great pride in all you do each and every day," he wrote.

Department spokesman David Owen said Lombardi will stay on until Greitens assumes office. In a previous statement, Owen said employees receive mandatory training that includes sexual harassment every year, and supervisors must take training on preventing harassment every three years.

Reports of harassment spurred House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty on Thursday to call for Lombardi to step down.

GOP House Speaker Todd Richardson earlier this month called for an investigation.

Republican Rep. Paul Fitzwater said he and other lawmakers previously had advocated for Lombardi to continue as director under Greitens.

They've since abandoned support, Fitzwater said.

He said lawmakers were not informed about the settlement payments and called the situation "totally unacceptable."

Missouri Corrections Officers Association director Gary Gross said the association was aware of harassment complaints for "quite some time" because the group helped employees filing grievances. He said he didn't speak out earlier out of fear his complaints would not be taken seriously.

Gross said not all employees alleging misconduct went through the grievance process, and he was "blown away" after reading reports of the prevalence of settlements.

"I knew they were going on, but I was about as shocked as anybody else at the outrageous number and the way they were handling and resolving these things," Gross said.

He added many cases might not have made it to court if the department had taken action to discipline bad behavior.