Lang
11/26/24
A West Liberty firefighter suing the city to get his job back has reached out to KCJJ to discuss his situation.
Paul Reed claims in a federal lawsuit that he was placed on administrative leave in September of 2023 due to what he calls “vague allegations of misconduct”. 11 days later he was told he was being investigated for sexual harassment. He was relieved of duty the next month.
Reed told KCJJ on Sunday that he wasn’t initially allowed to see the allegations against him, which were made by a female firefighter trainee and a witness. Reed claims that during firefighter training he tried to warn the woman that some of the males in the class were making inappropriate comments about her behind her back. He later learned the woman had filed a complaint against him.
Reed had asked for a third-party investigation considering recent friction between West Liberty city officials and the city’s fire department, but that request was denied.
Reed says when he was eventually allowed to see the statements from the woman and the witness months later, they had contradicting accounts of what exactly happened.
Reed’s fiance…West Liberty city councilor Dana Dominguez…met with City Manager Lee Geertz and Mayor Mark Smith last September to discuss the issue. Dominguez says Geertz admitted the situation was mishandled, including “issues” with Police Chief Eric Werling. Werling left to take the police chief position in Anamosa around the time of Reed’s firing.
Reed questions why Werling was even involved in a non-criminal investigation.
Reed took his case to the city council, which voted against his reinstatement. He told KCJJ the council told him it was a fire department issue, not city business, despite the fact city leaders had become involved.
Reed had a previous run-in with West Liberty Police when they charged him with Harassment of a Public Official in June of 2023 after he allegedly refused to let officers speak with Dominguez or her daughter after another juvenile was accused of assaulting the girl. Reed says Dominguez had told Werling the day after police tried to contact her that she was not interested in pressing charges.
A judge later found Reed not guilty after seeing body camera footage and learning Dominguez and the daughter had no interest in pursuing the case. Reed is seeking $155,000 in his lawsuit, but he says he’s more interested in getting his job back.