Emotions ran high in Darmstadt Thursday after town Council President Paul Freeman adjourned a special meeting and refused to answer public concerns of corruption and coverups.
You could hear residents booing Freeman, with the words "coward" and even "dictator" ringing out in the town hall.
The special meeting was called following the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office internal investigation into the town Maintenance Superintendent who is accused of theft and misuse of town equipment and funds.
When Freeman addressed the room Thursday evening, he said there wasn't enough proof to back the allegations.
"We’ve got some pictures, we agree; we have some problems, we agree," Freeman said. "But it is not what it has been made out to be.”
He also said the Sheriff's office would not move forward with any charges in its investigation, which is true. 44News reached out to Sheriff Dave Wedding and he said though there is evidence of internal abuse of goods and services, it isn’t enough to be considered criminal, so no charges will be brought up at this time.
For residents who showed up at the meeting, that’s fine. For them, the heart of the matter boils down to what they say is "dirty town politics."
As he continued his address to the public, Freeman claimed the two employees working under the Maintenance Superintendent, who also made allegations against the MS, were also guilty of misconduct. Freeman then called out the town for accusing him of protecting the MS and covering up the problem.
“I’m not sure I see any great corruption throughout the town," Freeman said.
Though, corruption is exactly what most of the townspeople and Ray Engler, the only member in opposition to the rest of the council, says is the problem.
“[The Maintenance Superintendent] admitted to operating the town’s backhoe intoxicated in that [past] meeting and it’s on tape, but Mr. Freeman states to everyone that he’s never done that," said Engler.
Now many townspeople want Freeman off the council, but Engler said that’s unlikely to happen.
“The only way that something is going to change is if one of them resigns, they can’t be removed from office," he said. "I directly talked to several attorneys about this and it is legal to lie to your own council and your constituents.”
As for action taken against the town Maintenance Superintendent, Freeman and two other council members voted not to terminate him, but they did vote to move forward with disciplinary action for the other two employees involved in the investigation.
Darmstadt Residents in Uproar Over Alleged Town Corruption – WEVV - WEVV
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