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PARKERSBURG - Lawsuits against Wood County Sheriff Steve Stephens are ongoing despite Goodwin & Goodwin saying Monday it will discontinue the investigation on behalf of the county regarding sexual harassment and hostile work environment allegations.
In a letter written to Wood County Commission president Blair Couch, R. Booth Goodwin said the legal team spent around 12-14 hours per day last week interviewing more than two dozen witnesses and gathering evidence.
As a result, Goodwin said he and his team met with Stephens, who agreed to resign. Goodwin said he could not release the details that led to the conversation discussing Stephens' resignation.
Because of Stephen's retirement, the investigation will not continue. Goodwin said a report of the findings will not be completed, and declined to comment about the details of the investigation.
"I think it's a good result for Wood County (and) a good result for the department. The department gets to move on," Goodwin said.
When the commission voted to hire Goodwin & Goodwin on Nov. 5 to investigate the allegations named in a lawsuit filed by former sergeant Della Matheny and a formal complaint filed by Deputy Tasha Hewitt, Goodwin said the task at hand was to find out whether Stephens should remain in office.
"All that the removal proceedings could result in is the vacation of the office, and with his resignation, everything that could occur, occurred, so we suspended our investigation. The proceedings don't have other legal ramifications," Goodwin said.
Bill Merriman who is representing Matheny and Court Officer Mark Harris, who filed a lawsuit Monday against Stephens and the commission, said despite Stephens' retirement, the lawsuits will continue.
Harris filed the lawsuit saying Stephens' conduct when he had to miss work to care for his sick wife was "atrocious" and "intolerable."
Todd S. Bailess with Bailess Law Firm is also representing Matheny and sent a statement on her behalf regarding Stephens' retirement.
"The Wood County Commission turned a blind eye to Sheriff Stephens for too long. They allowed him to create a hostile work environment that negatively impacted dedicated officers like myself."
During Monday's commission meeting, resident Marie Krinock mentioned a 14-page report from the Bailey & Wyant law firm stating findings from Hewitt's complaint filed in March 2020.
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel sent a Freedom of Information Act request to Wood County Administrator Marty Seufer asking for copies of said document and to confirm its existence. Tuesday, Seufer denied the request citing attorney client privilege.
While more information is expected as the lawsuits against Stephens progress, Matheny believes Stephens' retirement is a step in the right direction.
"This is a positive step for current and former members of the Wood County Sheriff's Department, like me, who worked really hard and really cared about this community," Matheny said.
Staff reporter Brett Dunlap also contributed to the story.
Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.