Former Florence city manager pleads guilty to criminal charges, including harassment of an employee, providing alcohol to a minor
FLORENCE, Colo. (KRDO) -- The former Florence City Manager at the center of a city hall sexual harassment scandal pleaded guilty to criminal charges on Thursday afternoon.
Mike Patterson pleaded guilty to a charge of misdemeanor harassment and another misdemeanor charge of providing alcohol to a minor after striking a deal with prosecutors in the 4th Judicial District Attorney's office.
Patterson was facing a total of six charges, including two felony and four misdemeanor charges. He pleaded not guilty to all six criminal charges in August. Prosecutors dismissed the two felony stalking, misdemeanor sexual contact no consent, and misdemeanor harassment charges in court on Thursday.
Patterson, who was Florence's city manager for a decade, first captured headlines when a warrant was issued for his arrest in November 2021. He was arrested at the Denver International Airport on criminal charges related to his behavior with women he supervised at Florence City Hall.
Patterson was fired by the former Florence City council in August 2021 for sexual harassment. 13 Investigates found that Patterson's employment contract did not require him to follow the city's policy that prohibited sexual harassment. We spoke with three women who accused Patterson of sexually harassing them while on the job and the city government of enabling his misconduct for years.
Since 2019, records show that the City of Florence has settled three lawsuits accusing Patterson of sexual harassment for a total of $444,000. The settlements were paid out to victims by the City of Florence's insurance providers after elected leaders agreed to pay insurance deductibles.
He will be sentenced on January 12, 2023.
13 Investigates will have much more on this major development tonight at 4, 5, and 6 on KRDO NewsChannel 13.
