January 10, 2008
- (Rutland Herald)
- "Ron
Lake offered police chief post in Bellows Falls" -
(Return
to News)
Article published Jan 10,
2008
Ron Lake offered police chief post in
Bellows Falls
By
Susan Smallheer Herald Staff
BELLOWS FALLS — A member of the inner circle of former Windham County
Sheriff Sheila Prue has been offered the job of Bellows Falls police
chief pending a reference check.
Clark Barber, president of the Bellows Falls village board of trustees,
said Wednesday that the trustees had given their approval to promoting
Ron Lake to the chief's position for the next six months after meeting
behind closed doors Tuesday. Lake now works for the Bellows Falls
Village Police Department.
He said the appointment was only for six months, while the village
wrestles with what to do with the troubled police department.
Lake, along with his older brother, Sherwood Lake, was a close confidant
of Prue, who was convicted in the summer of 2006 of embezzlement,
dereliction of duty and petty larceny. She was convicted of using
department funds to pay for everything from cell phones for her partner
and child to a banjo and underwear.
James Mullen, the Rockingham/Bellows Falls municipal manager, who has
the power to hire the police chief, declined to say whether he had
offered Lake the job.
But he said that in government, reference checks only come after someone
has been offered a job.
"I can't talk about personnel," Mullen said Wednesday.
Mullen said he had 57 applications for the chief's job, and four were
later interviewed. "But only one, Ron, has met with the trustees,"
Mullen said.
Ron Lake, who was a sergeant while employed by Prue, was investigated by
the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, after allegations were
made that new recruits to the sheriff's department were not being
properly trained. Lake and his brother, Sherwood, were in charge of
training for the sheriff's department.
According to a news story published at the time in the Rutland Herald,
Ron Lake was being investigated for not completing the training of the
new recruits, despite Lake telling the recruits that he was "taking care
of it."
Lake and his brother were later fired by now-Sheriff Keith Clark, who
was the Bellows Falls police chief until he was elected to the sheriff's
post in November 2006. Clark took office in early 2007.
He couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.
Barber said the village had not made a decision about the department,
which has been without a full-time chief since Clark resigned after his
election. Lake was hired by former acting Bellows Falls Police Chief
John Dunfee, who has since resigned and left the area.
The Bellows Falls Police Department is being managed by retired Vermont
State Police Officer James Cronan, who was hired several months ago
after the latest top candidate turned the job down after Dunfee left.
Dunfee and former Municipal Manager John Schempf came under fire when
Dunfee used his access to the state's criminal records to do research
for Schempf, who was trying to beat a speeding ticket he got in
Bennington County. Schempf has since resigned and taken a job in
California.
Barber said that Cronan works Monday and Tuesdays, setting up the weekly
schedule of the department and is otherwise on call.
Barber said that Clark, in his new role as sheriff, had made an offer to
provide full-time police service to Bellows Falls village at a cost far
below what it now costs the village. Barber said Clark had bid $650,000,
while the current village police budget totals $1 million.
Barber said the village was trying to decide what direction to take.
Prue was investigated by both Randy Brock, the state auditor at the
time, and later the attorney general's office for criminal behavior
after Brock completed his forensic audit of the department's books. The
investigation said Prue misused thousands of dollars of the department's
funds.
Attorney General William Sorrell, whose office handled the investigation
of Prue's office, didn't return calls for comment, and Assistant
Attorney General Cindy Maguire, who handled Prue's case, declined
comment on Lake's possible appointment.
Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com. |
