By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The former WaKeeney police chief was charged Monday with crimes of mistreatment of suspects after an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Michael Allen Romero was put on administrative leave in March and ultimately removed as police chief.
Romero is charged with one count of mistreatment of a confined person and two counts of battery.
On Jan. 19, Romero allegedly battered Steven Michael Balock.
Balock was facing charges of mistreatment of an animal and interference with a law enforcement officer. Both charges were dropped by the prosecutor, according to court records.
Irene Dirks, WaKeeney mayor, said Balock spoke to the city commission and he said Romero came to his door and was tased when he opened it.
Dirks said Balock told the commissioners at the council's March 18 meeting that although he does own a gun, he was not holding any weapons when he opened the door for Romero.
On March 7, Jesse Clair Maupin was allegedly battered and mistreated while he was in custody, according to court records.
Maupin was taken into custody on a requested misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
Trego County Attorney Abraham T. Pfannenstiel said the alleged battery against Maupin happened while the suspect was in the back of a police vehicle.
Pfannenstiel, who is also the city prosecutor, dismissed the case against Maupin.
Pfannenstiel issued an official statement on Romero's charges on Wednesday.
“It gives me no pleasure to present charges to the court in this unfortunate case,” Pfannenstiel said in the statement.
“However, any apparent abuse of power by our public officials is in violation of the oath they take to uphold the rule of law—and nobody, not even our leaders in law enforcement, are above the law," he said.
“While these crimes will be prosecuted in the courts of Trego County, I pray that we work together to prevent this case from turning into a prosecution of all law enforcement in the court of public opinion," Pfannenstiel said in his statement. "The men and women that serve our communities across this country are overwhelmingly officers of the highest integrity who take their duty to protect and serve to heart.
"They deserve our respect and gratitude for the tough role they play in making our communities safer."
No action had been taken on Romero's certification as a law enforcement officer as of an online check of records with the Kansas Commission of Peace Officers' Standards and Training on May 21.
Dirks said as mayor, she has concerns about the city's civil liability, as the charges against Romero came while he was on duty as a city employee.
However, Pfannenstiel, who is also the city attorney, said he was not concerned about civil liability because Romero was not acting within law enforcement standards.
Dirks said she had concerns about Romero since at least September, and her opposition divided both the city council and the community.
The police chief is appointed by the mayor. In January, Dirks refused to reappoint Romero.
Council member Brent Deines made a motion to approve the mayor's appointment of Alex Baker as chief of police. That motion failed on a 2-3 vote, with council members Curtis Flax, Kristin McCoy and Shane Pfeifer voting against appointing a new police chief, according to city council minutes.
Because the council rejected the mayor's new appointment, Romero was allowed to remain at his post.
Two of the WaKeeney City Council members who were backing Romero mounted a petition to recall Dirks, but the petition did not garner enough signatures to move forward, Dirks said.
Romero allegedly gave his key card to another person, giving them access to the law enforcement center that is shared with Trego County's Sheriff's Office, Dirks said.
Dirks said county officials expressed concerns with the security of the law enforcement facility based on Romero's actions.
The sheriff's office served the city with papers in February, indicating that it intended to terminate its lease with the police department. Dirks said once the city terminated Romero, the county reversed its decision to terminate the city's lease.
As issues mounted with Romero, Dirks said her opposition on the council finally relented, and Romero was placed on paid administrative leave on March 18. Trego County Sheriff Edward Pritchard was named interim police chief.
According to an email from Dirks to the Hays Post, Romero was terminated as of the city council meeting on April 1.
"We have had quite a bit of turmoil through the years. We've opened it up and done searches, but at this point, we want things to settle down before we go to the next step," Dirks said.
WaKeeney, population 1,800, has a staff of five when it is fully staffed. The department has two full-time and two part-time staff members now.
Dirks said the two current officers were hired right out of the academy when they turned 21. She said city officials are looking for a new chief to mentor the younger officers.
Dirks attributed the difficulty in finding personnel to burnout due to long hours. She also said, "Part of it is getting someone who understands the community and living in western Kansas."
She said the city has been fortunate to have assistance from the sheriff's office as well as a strong Kansas Highway Patrol presence while the police department is in transition.
"We are not getting in any big rush to find someone," Dirks said. "We want to get into some type of a groove and then look for people."