06292019 - News Article - Porter County sheriff not investigating allegations on clerk-treasurer

Portage's Attack On City Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham, RETALIATION? 18 U.S.C. §§1513: Federal Protection Against Retaliation

Porter County sheriff not investigating allegations on clerk-treasurer
NWI Time
June 29, 2019
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/porter-county-sheriff-not-investigating-allegations-on-clerk-treasurer/article_c081ffed-2bf6-5d41-9722-c6904b94b708.html

The Porter County Sheriff's Department is not currently investigating the allegations made earlier this week by the Portage mayor of possible wrongdoing in the city's clerk-treasurer's office.

Cpl. Benjamin McFalls said Friday the sheriff's department was not looking into the allegations made by Portage Mayor John Cannon about Chris Stidham.

He did not say whether his department was asked to look into the matter.

“As we stated in the press release, we turned over the report to the proper authorities,” Cannon said Friday. “That's all the (investigative) committee authorized me to say.”

Earlier this week, Cannon called on Stidham to resign after a bipartisan committee assembled by the mayor's office found “a sufficient likelihood of unlawful conduct” in the clerk-treasurer's office. The findings were laid out in a confidential report shown to some city officials.

Cannon said Tuesday he had contacted other officials and law enforcement about the situation. He did not specify then whom he contacted besides Council President Sue Lynch.

Stidham said the investigation stemmed from his wife working for the clerk-treasurer's office prior to her marriage to Stidham.

The situation was brought up during the trial of former Mayor James Snyder, who was convicted on bribery and tax evasion earlier this year. Stidham testified during the trial, and his wife's former employment was brought up during cross-examination.

Cannon on Friday called for an ordinance requiring two-signatures on all checks issued by the city.

According to a news release from the mayor's office, the measure stems from three transactions the confidential report said were unapproved by the board of works and signed by Stidham's wife.

Cannon said there were 19 checks signed by her between 2015 and 2016 for Keeping the Books, Paramount Technology Solutions and ERG Advisors, which were worth a total of $70,000.

The release states there had been no evidence presented to the mayor's investigation committee that the the transactions were ever approved by the Portage Board of Works and that one committee member, who was a board member, had no recollection of them either.