Parker Live News from the Parker Strip since 2009.
Parker Police Chief Rodney Mendoza was placed on administrative leave before Tuesday’s regularly scheduled council meeting, Mayor Dan Beaver told the audience at the meeting.
The announcement was made at the prompting of councilman Jerry Hooper after two members of the public got up to speak during Call to the Public. Both accused Mendoza of harassing Lorrie Thompson and expressed dismay at the apparent lack of action by the Town in response.
Beaver also stated, “There is an ongoing investigation at this moment, not only by DPS but by our own HR Department, and there are two people working on it and I want the public to know that.”
An injunction against harassment brought against Mendoza by Thompson, the wife of a Parker police officer, earlier this month was dismissed last week by a Lake Havasu City court due to insufficient evidence. Thompson says she plans to appeal.
Who makes up the HR?
Good for Parker town council. They are a lot smarter than the idiots on Quartzsite’s town council. A word to the wise, ignore the advice of the risk pool. They will tell you to ignore the will of the voters and sweep management’s corruption under the rug regardless of public perception. They will encourage town government to fire whistleblowers and when the lawsuits pile up they will abandon you to your folly saying it’s too expensive to insure you. Just like they did to Quartzsite.
Just to set record straight again. Lorrie Thompson does have evidence!!! It is being held at the sheriffs office is why she did not have it at the injunction hearing. It will be brought put at a later date in the investigation for those of you who don’t believe the Chief did anything wrong.
Second off since when is a council member allowed to leave the council cheers and verbally attack two citizens because she does not agree with their views. She was very verbally abusive to me and them it escalated up to getting up in Tiffany Dunlaps face and shaking her finger at her and threatening to call the cops. Um. Hello Christine , you are elected by us and you do not have the right to get up in anyone’s face. Maybe that is harassment on your part. Tiffany tried to get away from you and you followed her to her car and wouldn’t let up. And guess what? There was alot of witnesses to this one!!
GD Wondering the same thing. Lol
The word cheers is supposed to be chambers.
Remember when I said it wasn’t over? It appears the Parker Council has chosen not to follow Quartzsite down the rabbit hole, or at least they will err on the side of caution. Mad Hatter Justin Pierce will litigate for the other team this time? Curiouser and curiouser…
very Unprofessional for a Elected Official to Harass a Citizen of our Community. looks to me like she is not acting in the best interest of the Town of Parker.
Who is mad hatter Justin pierce jennifer
Yes you are right Jose. Very unprofessional but if you know Tiffany she can take care of herself . And she will let everyone know
Justin Pierce is the LDS District 25 Arizona Representative that is also the attorney who represents corporate clients against whistleblowers for the private sector and the AMRRP insurance pool at the law firm Jackson Lewis. He currently represents the Town of Quartzsite against the Police Officers who filed formal complaints against Police Chief Jeff Gilbert. http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Justin_Pierce
It was on the FOX 10 news show this morning, at the 8 o’clock hour.
Human Resources for the Town is Lori Wedemeyer, the Town Manager. I assume this as she called me to ask myself and my husband to come in to talk to the Town’s hired Private Investigators.
DPS is not investigating assault, harassment, or anything regarding my allegations. Private Investigators are. How many times must I say this? Call Media Relations at the Department of Public Safety please. They will confirm this. I had it confirmed by several helpful Sergeants at DPS. I have been saying this for weeks by the way. Very crafty of Wedemeyer to put that out there.
I suggest that the Town of Parker call the Kingman Police Department if they would like to know how to handle an Internal Investigation and Administrative Leave. You take away the City/ Town property, the firearm, the badge, the keys, all of it. You also admonish the employee to not have contact with other employees. Thus Mr. Mendoza probably shouldn’t have driven off in a Town of Parker vehicle after sitting through the public Town Council Meeting with his wife. Or does the La Paz County Task Force own that vehicle? Did I mention the vehicle is damaged? Look in the truck bed. Domestics sure can get messy.
The Town Council is responsible for it’s contract employees, the Town Manager and the Chief. The Council members can be recalled. Since Mr. Mendoza was just barely put on some sort of faux Administrative Leave after over a month of indecision by the Council, any further action is not looking very promising. Firing my police Sergeant husband for being honest would be a grave error by the way. The EEOC and our attorney would probably be very interested in that but, strangely, he likes working for the Town of Parker. Even now when he knows you all tried to put HIM on Admin Leave and want to terminate him for being a whistle blower. He’s not the whistle blower in the family, that would be me.
Anyway, Mendoza’s own words and admissions on digital media will cause the public to make the right decision or the Council and Mayor. There are about half of you that really want to do the right thing. I can tell by who meets my eyes at Council meetings. I’m not sure what the other 3 or 4 of you have going on. Not for me to decide. That’s up to the citizens of Parker.
This page brought to you by…Michael Frame Attorney at Law
LOL. Thank you, GD Harper… this… “This page brought to you by…Michael Frame Attorney at Law” made me laugh… 🙂
It was just on CBS news.
does administrative leave mean without pay?
Right on GD. thinking the same thing.
Guys, I don’t know what you mean by the Michael Frame reference. He’s an advertiser on this site, that’s all. No editorial power whatsoever, nor has he ever asked for any. Not sure what the ‘scandal’ is there. The guy is a lawyer doing his job.
John, I don’t think anyone said anything about a scandal, I didn’t see that. GD’s comment just made me chuckle. It was ironic, that’s all. Mr. Frame is just doing his job although it is kind of overzealous for a Criminal Defense attorney to represent someone in an Injunction Against Harassment hearing. Defendants normally speak for themselves. But, the defendant knew he was also being investigated criminally also, so, I guess he was a wee bit skittish. People don’t usually like attorneys so I am sure Mr. Frame isn’t offended. I apologize if he was in any way offended by my mirth. However, I, personally, was offended that he was trying to call me a liar (in the Injunction hearing) and trying to trick me into incriminating myself with word play so, we are now even I guess.
Oh and Administrative Leave is with pay, Carolyn.
Good job town let’s do this the right way.
So Lorrie are you ready for your past to come to light with this investigation? The things that went on in Mohave county?
Sorry to disappoint you Tina but that all came out on the injunction hearing. And as a matter of fact Lorrie just got every bit of her file from longman so next time in court, All documents are there not just the ones that Mendoza and his attorney pick to piece together to make it look like 1.
The real question is he ready for his past to finally catch up to him and come out…
Scandal? That’s Scandelous! How can a bear with a hat and glasses cos’ t-r-o-u-b-l-e. I think it got people to talk about it, instead of hoping it will go away.
So it finally comes full circle huh Rodney. I hope they run you into the ground the same way you have done to so many undeserving people. I am so thankful that I am able to see you get yours, just cant believe it took so long. KARMA IS A @#$CH RAM ROD!!!!!
Mendoza should finally get what he deserves. He fired me for rendering medical aid at an accident instead of doing traffic control when 2 other officers were doing traffic. I hope he is never able to be a cop again.
DPS isn’t commenting on what they are investigating but have any reporters asked La Paz County to comment on potential criminal charges being filed on Mendoza? And if they are NOT then why?
Oh and Tina, I have no secrets. I have always been honest about my past, unlike Mendoza. Just look at the comments above from rob and Jack B. I dated a married cop when I was in Kingman. Big deal. I didn’t lie about it. I was harassed by a Captain in Kingman too. I’m sure that’s how Mendoza decided I would be a safe target. I didn’t report the guy so he figured he was safe being a creep to me.
Miss Lorrie, It sounds like you have been a victim all your life. But you are a live one and maybe you need something better. How do you like an old cowboys.
I guess I should have chosen a better fake name for my posts! Sam Shepard
I was kind of a victim in the past, this is true. I was too stupid to realize I was being used but, those days are over, “Mr. Sheppard”, I am perfectly happy with my not-so-old Sergeant husband but, thanks.
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