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Complaint filed against county parks director By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune A Medford woman who in 1999 sued Jackson County for sexual harassment and lost filed a formal complaint with the state last week, alleging that her former boss abused his position during an elk hunt seven years ago. The complainant, former county employee Sharon Lammon, also claimed county administrators and commissioners glossed over the incident. The complaint, filed May 10 with Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission, was dismissed on May 13 because of a four-year statute of limitations, a spokesman in Salem said. Lammon - who now works at a Medford bowling alley - claimed former roads and parks director Joe Strahl persuaded several county employees to help him haul an elk out of the woods in December 1996. The employees were working and being paid by the county at the time, Lammon wrote. The incident was investigated by former County Administrator Burke Raymond. Commissioners Jack Walker, Ric Holt and Sue Kupillas, County Administrator Sue Slack and County Counsel Mike Jewett are accused of being part of a conspiracy. "I'm going to follow through about finding out what can be done about the situation," Lammon said of the dismissal. "Him (Strahl) being a boss, a boss should have had a harder reprimand. This wasn't handled the way it should have been." Strahl said he believes Lammon's complaint is politically motivated. In 1999, Lammon (formerly Sharon Millard) filed a lawsuit seeking $550,000 from the county. She accuses Strahl, who was her supervisor, of failing to protect her from sexual harassment. The man accused of harassing Lammon was a male fellow employee. Federal court records show the case was dismissed Oct. 4, 2001. Strahl said Lammon should have come forward long before now if she had concerns regarding the elk hunt incident. Lammon said she didn't because of her sexual harassment lawsuit. "Yes, some judgment errors were made," Strahl said, president of the Medford telecommunications company Keypoint Services International Inc. "This is not anything that I ever tried to hide. I put this all before the employees after the county did an investigation." Strahl said he was hunting with his 14-year-old son near Prospect when the incident took place. Strahl's son had a youth hunting permit, prohibiting Strahl from carrying a firearm. Strahl said his son was able to shoot and kill an elk, but added that the boy's rifle kicked back and struck his forehead, resulting in a large gash that later required several stitches. Faced with an ethical dilemma, Strahl admits he made poor choices. He said he wanted to seek help for his injured son, but leaving the animal violated Oregon law - waste of a game animal. Strahl said he made a phone call from Prospect, requesting immediate help from a Medford friend. On his way back to the hunt site, Strahl said he ran into a handful of county employees who volunteered to help since they were on their lunch hour. The elk was quickly removed, but Strahl said he and the employees waited for his Medford friend to arrive in order to transport the elk. By the time the Medford man arrived, county employees had been off the clock for almost one hour, Strahl said. Raymond investigated the incident and did not issue a reprimand. Strahl apologized to the work crew and later the entire road and parks department for his actions. Workers involved in the incident had the option of working through breaks or a lunch hour to make up the time, or use vacation time. Commissioner Jack Walker said the case is closed on the incident. "There was an investigation and it was handled," Walker said. "There was nothing to hide." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.