UPDATE: New details revealed in Maketa investigation

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office responded Thursday night to financial allegations.

The FBI has confirmed to KRDO NewsChannel 13 that it is assisting the Colorado Bureau of Investigation with its probe into allegations against El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa.

KRDO was first to report that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI were involved in the inquiry.

The FBI says that it is providing assistance to the CBI because it has access to resources and tools that the CBI does not.

Fourth Judicial District Attorney Dan May confirmed to KRDO NewsChannel 13 that he asked the CBI to take over as the lead agency on this investigation in July.

Maketa is accused of creating a hostile work environment, having inappropriate relationships with three female employees and misusing taxpayer money.

In July, El Paso County Treasurer Bob Balink told KRDO NewsChannel 13 his office had only recently been made aware of a bank account set up by Sheriff Terry Maketa with close to $1 million in it. He said his office keeps tabs on bank accounts opened across county offices so that it can hand in a complete list to auditors who check that money is being spent appropriately.

In the Denver Post’s article on Sept. 11, Balink said there were five bank accounts established by Maketa that his office was not aware of.

The Sheriff’s Office posted a response on its website late Thursday night.

“We repeatedly witnessed nothing other than twisted mis-representations (sic). There is no evidence to support this allegation. Anyone can say anything and that doesn’t mean it’s true,” said the press release on the Sheriff’s Office website.

In May, the El Paso County Board of Commissioners unanimously asked Maketa to resign, but he has maintained that he won’t. An effort to recall Maketa from office was dropped.

The women at the center of the investigation are Undersheriff Paula Presley, Comptroller Dorene Cardarelle and head of dispatch training Tiffany Huntz. The sheriff and all three women have denied any wrongdoing, though Maketa did issue a video apology to Sheriff’s Office employees in June.