Colorado Town of Lakeside fires police chief: "We have every reason to terminate immediately"
At a special meeting Tuesday night, trustees for the Town of Lakeside voted to unanimously fire their police chief, Robert Gordanier, who had also served as mayor and fire chief and had worked for the town since 1967. The town also announced that Gordanier's daughter, Brenda Hamilton, who was town clerk but had also been indicted along with her father, had agreed to resign from her position.
"We have good reason to terminate," said Henry Schueller, one of the five trustees who voted to fire Gordanier.
"There's a reason he was indicted," said Schueller.
Last week, a Jefferson County grand jury announced it had indicted Gordanier and Hamilton in a car-flipping scheme. According to the indictment and a previous CBS News Colorado investigation, Gordanier had signed off on selling at least three of the town's police vehicles to his daughter for cut-rate prices -- sometimes as low as $300. The grand jury said Hamilton then turned around and sold the vehicles on the open market, pocketing thousands of dollars. Gordanier acknowledged what had been going on with the cars during an on-camera interview with CBS News Colorado.
Attorneys for Gordanier and Hamilton have not responded to numerous emails seeking comment on the indictments.
Diana Thao, another Lakeside trustee who voted to terminate Gordanier from his $94,000-per-year job, said, "They're innocent until proven guilty but based on everything that we've seen and what he's admitted on record, it was an easy decision. We have to hold people accountable for what they have done," said Thao.
Brenda Hamilton had been on paid leave from her $70,000 per year job since the Jefferson County district attorney announced late last year they were looking into Hamilton and Gordanier. Tuesday night, town attorney Tim Flynn said Hamilton "is no longer an employee of the town" and went on to say she had agreed to sign a separation agreement. "She will in essence be resigning her position," said Flynn.
Hamilton and Gordanier are both free on $25,000 personal recognizance bonds and are scheduled to make court appearances in early August.
"This," said Schueller, "is what should happen when integrity ceases to exist."
