26 October 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The City of Sedgwick has released more information regarding the misconduct allegations that led to the resignation of police chief Lee Nygaard.
Nygaard tendered his resignation to city officials amid misconduct allegations, which surfaced on Oct. 18.
A news release sent Thursday evening said the misconduct allegations included:
Acts of harassment, including inappropriate or suggestive comments sufficiently explicit so as to offend a local citizen of the community to whom the comments were directed
Improper use of city equipment for unauthorized activities inconsistent with the employee’s job description
And generally engaging in conduct that adversely reflected in a significant fashion upon the integrity of the City of Sedgwick and its Police Department
During a meeting with city officials on Oct. 20, Nygaard was given the opportunity to refute the allegations.
“Thereafter, Mr. Nygaard chose to resign his position effectively immediately,” the release reads.
Sedgwick City Administrator Kyle Nordick told KSN News Thursday there was a citizen complaint against the chief, which was investigated. He said the allegation was not about money use but would not say at the time if the allegation involved city property.
Due to the type of allegations, the city said Wednesday that anonymity must be kept.
Nygaard had been working full-time since December 2020. He became the police chief last November. The Sedgwick Police Department has two full-time and four part-time positions. The chief is one of the full-time positions.
Nordick said Sedgwick has contacted Harvey County to ensure that law enforcement services are covered. The city will start looking for a new police chief in the next week and hopes to have the position filled in the next month.