Allegations of X-rated emails from sheriff to deputy roil Lancaster County
Lancaster County is embroiled in a controversy over allegations that the sheriff sexually harassed a female deputy with suggestive and pornographic emails.
Lancaster County is embroiled in a controversy over allegations that the sheriff sexually harassed a female deputy with suggestive and pornographic emails.
The county Board of Commissioners has called for Sheriff Mark Reese to resign from his elected position after an internal investigation in which the commissioners say he admitted sending the emails, according to the LNP daily newspaper in Lancaster.
Reese, 58, who is paid $85,460 a year, has not indicated whether he will step down.
The emails were listed in a complaint filed by Deputy Jessica Padilla, 42, through her lawyer, Franklin J. Rooks Jr. of Marlton.
In one, Reese wrote to her: "I really wanted to reach over and rub your legs through those tight pants!! Now THAT would be misbehaving hon!!!"
The most egregious contains a lengthy fictional story by Reese explicitly describing sex between him and a new deputy he calls "baby."
"Her boss, me, was attracted to her from the first time he saw her, but she never knew it," he wrote. It quickly gets X-rated.
Reese has been on paid leave since July 26 after the commissioners began their investigation. His lawyer, Andrew J. Bellwoar, told LNP that the leave was voluntary and that he expected Reese to return to work.
Padilla remains on the job.
"Sheriff Reese, by his own admission, sent the emails in question. They are explicit, pornographic, and inappropriate. Any employee over which the Board of Commissioners has control who conducted themselves in this manner would be terminated," the commissioners said in an Aug. 12 statement.
The commissioners, however, can't fire the sheriff.
Reese, who oversees more than 50 deputies and a $5 million budget, can be removed from office only if he is impeached by the legislature. A state representative told LNP that the House would start the process if Reese doesn't quit.
A lawyer for Padilla submitted a written complaint dated July 11 detailing her allegations to Dennis P. Stuckey, Board of Commissioners chairman. That complaint prompted the county investigation.
Bellwoar, Reese's lawyer, told LNP: "We are disappointed with the precipitous action taken today by the county. The county appropriately started an investigation into a complaint it received from an employee; the county must complete an investigation in order to fulfill its responsibilities pursuant to the law."
Bellwoar added, "Apparently, there are emails from Ms. Padilla to Sheriff Reese," but "the county has not yet obtained or reviewed those emails. Those emails may well shed light on the situation."
An LNP editorial called for Reese to resign, saying the scandal "has cast dishonor on the office he was elected to serve."
Rooks told LNP that his client is seeking a financial settlement and a "harassment-free workplace" for herself and her colleagues.
215-854-5983@RobertMoran215
Staff writer Erin Arvedlund contributed to this article.