City ends investigation of assistant city manager

The city of Maricopa has decided not to pursue further investigation into claims of criminal misconduct made against Assistant City Manager Roger Kolman, according to a release issued by city spokeswoman LaTricia Woods Tuesday.

The preliminary investigation began last month when the city received anonymous allegations Kolman was taking steps to manufacture false documents with the aim of incriminating former city employee Marty McDonald, who was laid off and arrested on charges of stealing by deceit two years ago and is involved in a claim against the city.

The anonymously submitted documents included a memo supposedly written by Kolman to then city manager Kevin Evans, two vender history reports and a letter from the person sending the documents.

According to Woods’ release, the allegations placed the city in the difficult position of trying to assess information from “unknown, phantom sources” who could not be interviewed.

Preliminary investigation revealed that at least one of the vendor history reports was forged and that several statements made in the documents were false, according to the release.

Kolman issued the following statement: “I was made aware on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 24) of a memorandum purportedly written by me and addressed to our former City Manager in which the author of the memorandum lays out a conspiracy to falsely accuse one of our City’s former employees of criminal activities.

“The allegation is insulting to me, personally, and the City of Maricopa. I did not author such a memorandum, I did not sign such a memorandum and I did not deliver such a memorandum to our former City Manager. Most importantly, I did not, have not, and would not knowingly participate in any conspiracy to falsely accuse any person, of anything.

“A close review of the “facts” alleged in the memo clearly shows it not only to be a forgery, but a very poorly written one. In short, I just do not understand the mind of someone who would take the time and go to the trouble to forge such a document and release it to the public, anonymously, as if it were fact. Such an act is not only cowardly; it is also potentially illegal under A.R.S. 13-2001 et seq. Who would do such a thing? Such acts cause unnecessary dissension and mistrust within an organization and should not be tolerated for any reason.”