Published: August 04, 2008 09:54 pm            

Roberts agrees to resign

Whitestown — The Whitestown Town Council voted 5-0 in a special meeting Thursday to agree to a resignation settlement with town marshal Ralph Roberts.

Roberts filed the agreement Wednesday. Whitestown agreed to:

* Pay Roberts a lump sum of $21,563 within 30 days;

* Ensure Roberts’ COBRA health insurance coverage until Jan. 31, 2009; and

* Confirm Roberts’ ownership of his duty firearm, a Glock .357 semi-automatic pistol.

In exchange, Roberts releases and waives all asserted or unasserted claims against the Town of Whitestown.

“The spirit of the agreement says we’re going to go our separate ways,” Whitestown attorney Chris Janak said.

Neither Tribby nor any other town council would comment on the resignation agreement. Attempts to reach Roberts for comments on the charges have been unsuccessful.

By entering into this agreement and resigning as marshal, Roberts does not admit, and specifically denies, that he has engaged in any illegal, improper, or inappropriate conduct during his employment by Whitestown.

The town council suspended Roberts with pay at its July 8 meeting.

Whitestown made eight specific charges against Roberts, including sale of a handgun owned by the Whitestown Police Department for personal gain, purchasing a vehicle on the account of Worth Township without the knowledge or consent of the township or Whitestown, improper disposal of illegal substances, failure to communicate constructively with the county prosecutor, using $1,000 obtained by the WPD as part of a criminal fraud investigation to start a bank account in the WPD’s name and incomplete transfer of funds for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Roberts has until Aug. 7 to revoke the agreement.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.