Multiple incidents land Ronan police chief in hot seat
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
RONAN – After serving 10 weeks as chief of police, Valent Maxwell endured an extensive and aggressive round of questioning about his job performance from the Ronan City Council on Jan. 7. Councilman Chris Adler aired a laundry list of concerns that ranged from Maxwell being non-responsive to emergency calls to heftier allegations of not properly securing evidence and providing back up. Maxwell admitted to some of the allegations, adamantly denied others, and said health problems may have contributed to him having “no recollection” of some events.
Maxwell asked to move the discussion about his performance into executive session, but Mayor Kim Aipperspach did not grant the request, saying he did not believe it fit the criteria necessary to do so.
Adler began by asking Maxwell to account for why Lake County sheriff’s deputies could not locate him after he was called to the hospital to interview the wife of a man involved in a stabbing. The patient became combative with the female sheriff’s deputy. Adler said he had spoken with Sheriff Jay Doyle and that Doyle was not happy with how Maxwell behaved during the call.
“This is obviously serious enough that the sheriff was pretty mad about this deal,” Adler said.
Sheriff’s deputies and hospital personnel reported they could not find Maxwell, although he claimed he interviewed the wife of the suspect in the hospital waiting room before he went home.
When Adler asked Maxwell if he took evidence at the hospital, Maxwell said he couldn’t remember anyone asking him to take evidence, although he admitted he likely should have.
“I’m not sure why I didn’t take the evidence,” Maxwell said. “ … It doesn’t make sense to me today.”
The entire encounter at the hospital is a blur for Maxwell.
“It’s a can of worms for me,” Maxwell said. “You aren’t happy with my answers. I’m not happy with my answers, but I don’t remember.”
Maxwell said he is concerned his actions may have compromised the safety of the deputy.
“That’s not who I am,” Maxwell said. “… I have never, in 23 years of being a police officer, left another officer in a bind like that.”
Maxwell said he is in the process of undergoing health screenings to see if poor management of diabetes or another medical condition could have caused the memory loss.
Councilmember Roger Romero voiced doubt of Maxwell’s account of what happened after he left the hospital and returned to the crime scene. Maxwell contends that the building was sealed and under surveillance the entire night. Romero’s father-in-law owns the apartment complex and told councilmen that he was able to access the crime scene.
Maxwell said he thinks both the sheriff’s office and Ronan department can move forward; however the relationship status of the Ronan department and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Police was less clear.
Adler met with members of Tribal Police prior to the city council meeting. Tribal policemen were incensed by comments made by Maxwell on cases where the departments worked together, Adler said.
According to a written statement from a tribal officer, Maxwell told the officer “This is the last time I help the tribe,” when responding to a call. Adler said a sheriff’s deputy who also responded was able to verify the comments.
Maxwell denied the incident ever took place and suggested the council bring the deputy and tribal officer in so the details of what happened could be hashed out.
“You want to hook me up to a voice-stress analysis? You want to hook me up to a polygraph? You want to question me about my statements? You are welcome to have at it,” Maxwell said.
Adler asked why Maxwell traveled to meet with heads of other law enforcement agencies in Polson and Missoula soon after he arrived, but did not take the five-mile ride to Pablo to introduce himself to the Tribal chief of police.
Maxwell said it was more than a month after he arrived that he met with the Tribal chief of police, and that he should have arranged a meeting sooner, but that he was not aware tribal officers were angry with him and thought his interactions with the tribe had been positive.
“I completely support interagency cooperation,” Maxwell said.
Adler also asked why Maxwell did not respond to a fire Christmas day.
“It was a fire that gutted a kid’s apartment and the law enforcement that showed up were two tribal police – Don Bell and Bill Dupuis,” Adler said. “They helped out, made sure there was no malicious intent, parked in the middle of the road so we could run a hose across the road. I want to know where’s Val? ”
Maxwell said he didn’t respond because, though he was on duty, he wasn’t dispatched.
“If police is not requested at that fire, then I believe that my assistance is not needed and I continue to do my daily duties,” Maxwell said.
Adler disagreed.
Adler also asked why it took 23 days for the department to deliver a traffic crash report to a requesting party, when the department said it would be delivered in three to four days.
The council also questioned Maxwell about his 14-minute patrol loop that takes him out of the city limits up Timberlane Road.
“People are paying taxes for the city,” Adler said. “They don’t like seeing city vehicles outside the city.
The patrol loop was in existence before the new chief arrived, and he believes it helps protect the town’s water tower and reduce speeding and slide-offs in the area, Maxwell said. He offered to stop going out of town to remedy the problem.
During questioning, other Ronan Police officers appeared disgruntled by Maxwell’s statements. The department requested that the police department have a closed executive session to discuss personnel matters. Aipperspach granted the request.
Maxwell was still Ronan chief of police as of Thursday, Jan. 9.
In other business:
• Kathleen O’Rourke Mullins was hired as city attorney.
• Timothy Case was hired as police officer. In December, Case graduated from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and received the Jimmy Kaaro Award, which is given to the officer who receives the highest level of academic achievement in the class.
• Two budget amendments were made for the library and police department.
The next city council meeting will be held at Ronan City Hall on Jan. 21 at 6 p.m.
