Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
LOGAN — Emotions ran high during a Cache County Council meeting Tuesday night, in the wake of a complaint by a longtime county employee alleging threats and harassment from a candidate in the county attorney race.
Terryl Warner, an employee of the county for 28 years, filed a complaint in February, but took to the podium to call attention to what she called a hostile work environment she claims county executive David Zook has enforced by his treatment of her report.
In February, Warner submitted a grievance to the Office of Personnel Management, after she said a candidate for county attorney threatened her over text. Warner, who has been supportive of interim County Attorney Taylor Sorensen's campaign, said she first received a message from Cameron Cox, a public defender under contract with the county, on Feb. 9.
The text read: "I learned you are campaigning for Taylor and saying things about me that are not true. Best of luck. I'm an honest and good person. If I don't win this election, I will the next one and make your next four years a self reflecting experience."
On Feb. 10, Warner said she reported the text to the county human resources director, to her supervisor, Taylor Sorensen, and to Zook.
Warner received another text from Cox, sent Feb. 14, calling her a "bad steward of tax money," among other accusations.
In her complaint, Warner said, "I have never experienced or seen anything like this in all the years I have been employed with Cache County," calling the texts "intimidating, threatening and bullying."
Cox viewed the texts differently, and told KSL: "I was defending myself against her baseless attacks on my character. If her candidate wins, then they elect someone with no experience for this job ... and she'll have four years of self-reflection for getting him elected."
He said Warner's complaint is politically motivated. "This entire 'investigation' is a political witch hunt that no one from my opponent's office should be handling or involved in," he said, and submitted a packet of evidence as a rebuttal to Warner's allegations. He claims documents he received through a public records request show Warner was using county time and equipment to conduct campaign business.
Cox also complained that Warner had tried to get his manager to terminate his public defender contract during a meeting on Feb. 26. Cox was denied his request to speak at the county meeting Tuesday night, according to emails he forwarded KSL.
While Cox described Warner as managing a political campaign, Sorenson says her involvement in his campaign is minimal. Warner said she has given out some campaign signs and gone to two town halls. Sorenson confirmed this and said his wife is managing the race for him.
When Warner brought her complaints to Zook, she claims he told her "nobody else needs to see these texts," that Warner was "partially responsible for this," and that sharing the texts made her "guilty of gossiping."
Heated exchange
Warner said she was told on March 1 that the county would contract with an outside entity to investigate the matter, but they have been waiting on a signature from Zook to go ahead with the investigation.
In a tense exchange at the meeting, Warner asked, "Have you signed the contract, David?" The county executive claimed he had not been presented with a contract. "Are you aware of a contract waiting for your signature?" she asked. Zook replied, "No."
"My understanding is you have refused to sign the contract. That is retaliation," Warner said.
A county employee, however, told KSL that the county had already engaged the services of a third party, who had "felt comfortable starting their investigation without a signed contract."
Later in the discussion, County Council Chairman David Erickson called human resources director Amy Adams to the podium and asked if she had presented Zook with a contract. She confirmed that "he had been presented with a contract."
Zook then admitted that it was on his desk, waiting to be signed, but said it was not a contract. "I have consulted with four attorneys who have all told me it would be illegal for the investigation to ensure in that form. It is being investigated in other forms," he said.
Seemingly backed into a corner, Zook went on a tirade about the lack of communication and respect between his office and the council. He blamed personal grudges for these problems, saying Erickson, the council chairman, "has never been able to get over the fact that he lost to me in an election."
Zook said he sent a letter to the council on March 7, stating he believes the matter should be investigated by the managing public defender, who has independent authority to oversee the public defender contracts, but said he got no response from the council.
"I'm defensive because I'm caught off guard and I feel like this has been set up and fabricated to attack me," Zook said. "There are so many issues with this that we, as a group, should have been talking about."
Later in the meeting, when the council was going through the budget, it earmarked money for the county's human resources department to pay for the independent investigation that a firm had already begun working on.
Zook told KSL the next day that "last night's political theater was an attempt to intimidate me into violating legal and ethical boundaries that provide a critical separation between the county's roles of prosecution and indigent defense. I will not be intimidated into breaking the law, violating the separation of powers, or subverting the proper process in favor of a public lynching or politically motivated witch hunt."
