Sedgwick police chief resigns amid ‘multiple allegations of misconduct’
The police chief in the small town of Sedgwick has resigned while under investigation for “multiple allegations of misconduct” that the city determined were committed, city administrator Kyle Nordick said in a news release this week.
Former chief Lee Nygaard was put on paid leave after the allegations were brought to the “administration and the governing body” on Oct. 18.
Nygaard resigned during the investigation. He could not be reached for comment.
The news release published Wednesday had few details about what happened. Nordick didn’t respond to a phone call Thursday, but he did respond to an email with more information after The Eagle originally published its story.
“These allegations included subsequently substantiated acts of harassment including inappropriate or suggestive comments sufficiently explicit so as to offend a local citizen of the community to whom the comments were directed; improper use of City equipment for unauthorized activities inconsistent with the employee’s job description; and generally engaging in conduct which adversely reflected in a significant fashion” on the city and police department, Nordick said in the statement released Thursday night.
That statement also said that Nygaard was given the chance to refute the allegations during a Oct. 20 meeting with city officials.
“Thereafter, Mr. Nygaard chose to resign his position” effective immediately, Nordick wrote.
Earlier in the day, board member Kirby Stucky said Thursday that he doesn’t “know anything really” and that he was somewhat concerned about the lack of details he has received. Stucky said he found out about the resignation in a text on Monday.
The city said there are no plans to name an interim chief.
Sedgwick is a town of about 1,600 people that is in both Sedgwick and Harvey counties. It’s about a 20 minute drive from Wichita.
