Gazette reporter reacts to Maketa investigation findings

The former Gazette reporter whose reporting prompted El Paso County commissioners to ask for an independent investigation into Sheriff Terry Maketa talked to KRDO NewsChannel 13 after a summary of the investigation was released Thursday.

Dave Philipps published an article with the Colorado Springs Gazette in May after three top commanders with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office filed a complaint against Maketa, accusing him of sexual favoritism and creating a hostile work environment.

“The findings that the commissioners got today are basically no different than what we reported in the spring,” Philipps said. “Validating or not, I think the taxpayers, the people who want their government to work well, wonder why this took so long. Why this guy didn’t bow out when this came out,” he said.

Though Philipps’ report included interviews with the commanders and email exchanges that pointed to an affair between Maketa and comptroller Dorene Cardarelle, it wasn’t the first time the accusations were published. In March 2010, The Colorado Springs Independent published an article outlining the alleged affairs and questionable promotions. At the time, county commissioners said they couldn’t do anything because no one from the Sheriff’s Office had filed a formal complaint.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have reported any of these stories if it was just a man having affairs in his private life. People have argued that that’s between him and his family and maybe that’s true, but that’s not what was going on,” Philipps said. “He was having affairs in his public life with his employees and then promoting people who a number of people have said weren’t qualified to fill those positions. That ultimately affects all of us.”

Read more about the employment investigation released on Thursday here.