[Vision2020] Moscow fire chief denies drug cover-up

[Wayne Price]

Wayne,

WHY bother?  Have you seen or heard of the possibility of an  
INDEPENDENT investigation being set up since this involves
the fire chief and a member of the city counsel? Clearly the assault   
"investigation"  earlier this year sends a message to the
community that complaints are not welcome, so why bother?

Jefferson once said that people get the kind of government they  
deserve. Since I, among others have only one recourse, the election,
that is where I will exercise my option about local issues.


Wayne




On May 7, 2012, at 3:31 PM, Art Deco wrote:

> I won't start the comments, but there really ought to be some.
>
>
>
> _________________________
> Moscow fire chief denies drug cover-up
>
> By Brandon Macz, Daily News staff writer | Posted: Monday, May 7,  
> 2012 1:00 am
>
> Moscow Fire Chief Ed Button denies a cover-up alleged by two  
> volunteer firefighters in a complaint filed with the city.
>
> The complaint states that he and Fire Capt. Dan Carscallen  
> overlooked suspected drugs and paraphernalia in Fire Station No. 1  
> and ordered them disposed of without contacting law enforcement.  
> Button says he only ordered them removed from the building.
>
> Bonnie Shambaugh and Emily Kimberling state in complaints filed with  
> city Human Resources Director Leslie Moss that suspected drugs and  
> paraphernalia were found in a resident firefighter's desk Feb. 14.  
> The drugs were allegedly found in a ring box that also contained  
> vials, an empty pill capsule, razors and straws.
>
> When they contacted Carscallen, the on-duty fire command officer  
> that night, Shambaugh's complaint states, Carscallen conferred with  
> Button before calling back.
>
> "Carscallen called me sometime before 1:30 a.m. and told me that  
> Button and himself decided they were going to treat the drugs like a  
> bottle of whiskey, and give (the firefighter) the opportunity to get  
> rid of it," Shambaugh states. "I reminded him that it didn't just go  
> against the resident handbook, but this behavior is illegal  
> everywhere. Carscallen then said he thought Kimberling and I should  
> go to (the firefighter) and tell her that she needed to get rid of  
> everything and this would be the end of it."
>
> Button said in a phone interview Friday he felt the situation was  
> handled properly and his decision, made after being awakened at 2  
> a.m. was immediate.
>
> "Sometimes an individual will be unhappy with how things transpire,  
> but yeah, there was an event, and I think there was a feeling that  
> there was a cover-up and there was no cover-up made," he said. "...  
> There was never any instruction from my part to get rid of it or  
> destroy. Anything that happened after that was not per my  
> instruction. They said there's something suspicious and, I don't  
> know, do it again, there might be something different. My just  
> initial reaction at that time in the morning is that I want it out  
> of the building."
>
> Shambaugh states the firefighter was approached and she agreed to  
> dispose of the substance - the complaint alleges the firefighter  
> said it was oxycodone - in the bathroom and throw out the  
> paraphernalia. However, it states, Carscallen did not report to the  
> station to witness this.
>
> "I'm not sure what the proper procedures were at the time, and we'd  
> never dealt with something like that," Carscallen said. "I never  
> personally saw what they found. I called the chief and discussed  
> with him what the options were. It's all unfortunate that somebody  
> thinks ... it's just an unfortunate situation all around."
>
> Carscallen and Button said the firefighter was drug tested the next  
> morning and Carscallen added the results later came back negative.  
> Button said there is no random drug testing policy within the  
> volunteer fire department.
>
> But Shambaugh and Kimberling allege they felt intimidated and  
> threatened during meetings they had separately with Carscallen and  
> Button the day after the incident. Kimberling confirmed by phone  
> Friday she filed a complaint with the city along with Shambaugh, but  
> did not want to be quoted following an interview Friday.
>
> Shambaugh states she recorded her meeting with Button and Carscallen  
> along with several other exchanges with administrators that she uses  
> in her complaint. City attorney Randy Fife said Idaho has a one- 
> party consent rule for recording conversations and Shambaugh was in  
> her legal right to make recordings.
>
> "Button started by saying (the meeting) was meant to provide 'rumor  
> and damage control not only for you (referring to me) and Emily  
> too,' " alleges Shambaugh. "They explained if this got into the  
> papers it could ruin my career opportunities."
>
> She states she was told by Button that if Carscallen had not been on  
> duty that night, the police could have been contacted, and she said  
> she thought law enforcement should have been notified. She alleges  
> Button told her she could have ended up being accused of  
> burglarizing the firefighter's room.
>
> "Button told me, 'This could have been the end of your career before  
> it even got started,' " Shambaugh's complaint states.
>
> Shambaugh states she told the two they should have tested the  
> firefighter immediately "because these kinds of drugs cycle through  
> your metabolism very quickly." But since neither Button nor  
> Carscallen were present during the incident, she alleges the  
> conversation was mostly about her and Kimberling and trying to  
> "scare us into keeping quiet."
>
> "Carscallen said, 'It could go from what he knows happened to the  
> three of you were having a coke tootin' party in the room and you  
> know that's...' Button interrupted and said he never thought of that  
> and we need to 'keep it to ourselves.' "
>
> Button said he thinks Shambaugh and Kimberling misunderstood.
>
> "I believe they took it out of context," he said. "I don't believe  
> there was any repercussions to threaten them with at all."
>
> Carscallen said his office at the North Latah County Highway  
> District was used for the meeting to avoid rumors in the fire station.
>
> "It's my office, so it's just, where was a convenient place to have  
> it?" he added.
>
> Shambaugh's boyfriend and former Moscow volunteer firefighter,  
> Benjamin Dill, on Feb. 19 responded with her to a paramedic call at  
> Walmart in a department vehicle. Because Dill did not fill out a  
> ride-along form, Carscallen confronted Dill on the emergency loading  
> dock of Gritman Medical Center where Dill alleged to the Latah  
> County Sheriff's Office Carscallen grabbed him by his arm as he was  
> attempting to leave.
>
> "It seemed like Dan was being more aggressive toward this whole  
> situation with Ben because of the drug situation," said Shambaugh in  
> a phone interview Saturday.
>
> The sheriff's office forwarded the investigative report to the  
> county prosecutor's office without a recommendation for charges and  
> it was later decided none would be filed.
>
> "... I was upset that a situation as simple as this was handled so  
> dramatically," the complaint states of Carscallen's response to  
> Dill's actions that day, "but a situation as serious as drugs at the  
> fire station didn't even warrant Carscallen to come to the station  
> and handle it properly. A precedent has been set, as several command  
> officers have had their significant others and children in the  
> command vehicles without such paperwork. M40 (the response vehicle)  
> is to be used for personal use, as long as I am ready to leave those  
> activities to respond to calls."
>
> Carscallen said he didn't know if Shambaugh's complaint was  
> partially out of anger over Dill's battery allegations.
>
> "I'm don't know if the complainant had any animosity in that  
> complaint," he said. "That situation (with Dill) was done. I can't  
> even remember far back what happened before or after."
>
> City Supervisor Gary Riedner said because Shambaugh and Kimberling  
> are volunteers and not city employees, their complaints were handled  
> as citizen complaints and the allegations were investigated,  
> however, the results are confidential.
>
> "It's a personnel matter and we dealt with it," he said, adding of  
> the investigation, "I'm unable able to comment on the process."
>
> Moscow Police Chief David Duke said Friday he had not received a  
> referral from the city to investigate the allegations from the  
> complaints filed by the firefighters and Latah County Prosecutor  
> Bill Thompson said he also was not aware of any investigation being  
> conducted by the sheriff's office.
>
> The city pays for five administrative positions within the  
> department, which does not include Carscallen's position.
>
> Riedner said there have been cases in the past regarding elected  
> officials, such as Carscallen, who is Moscow City Council president,  
> and perceived conflicts with their involvement in the community and  
> affairs related to the city.
>
> "I'm not going to say it happens a lot, but it happens," said  
> Riedner. "Dan being a part of the fire department is not a conflict."
>
> Both Button and Carscallen said they were aware of the complaints  
> filed against them, however, neither had read them.
>
> Shambaugh said since filing her complaint with the city, she has  
> been focused on getting through her paramedic contract.
>
> "I'm just trying to avoid them as much as possible, but yeah, I've  
> heard that they've been having meetings about me," she said.  
> "Obviously, I don't know what that's about."
>
> Button said neither Kimberling nor Shambaugh should be concerned  
> about any reprisal for their complaints. Kimberling was not asked to  
> return to the resident firefighter program next year.
>
> "I feel that there wouldn't be a risk of that jeopardizing their  
> career as that being seen as a single issue," said Button. "A person  
> shouldn't feel at risk. I'm not angry about this, and I don't feel  
> any need to retaliate."
>
> Brandon Macz can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 238, or by email  
> to bmacz at dnews.com.
>
>
> -- 
> Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
> art.deco.studios at gmail.com
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