Post by WaTcHeR on Apr 6, 2006 13:13:39 GMT -5
Police chief Derrick Foxworth
04/06/2006 - Embattled Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth called the woman accusing him of sexual misconduct "bitter and angry" on Wednesday, hours after X-rated e-mails he allegedly wrote to her went public.
Newly released legal documents pertaining to the allegations Foxworth faces include extremely graphic language in e-mails he allegedly sent to the female desk clerk.
In a tort claim released Wednesday, plaintiff Angela Oswalt, 46, alleges that she faced repeated sexual advances by Foxworth and that she feared for her future employment if she did not submit.
The document further alleges that Foxworth sent her pornographic e-mails on a regular basis and the two of them had an ongoing sexual relationship despite him both being married and living with a mistress.
The e-mails Foxworth allegedly sent Oswalt before becoming chief spell detail after detail of various sexual acts he would like to perform with her.
"...I push my body closer to you so you can feel my ...," reads part of one e-mail.
Oswalt claims Foxworth demanded and threatened that she should never under any circumstances tell anyone about their relationship.
The claim also alleges that Foxworth returned to police duty after drinking alcohol at Oswalt's home.
The document alerts the city of a possible lawsuit.
Foxworth peppered with questions about graphic e-mails
After the legal document was released Wednesday, Foxworth addressed the claim.
“…it’s unfortunate that these things have been shared," he said. "Obviously they appear to be from a person who is very bitter and angry...”
Foxworth added that he regrets not being able to provide any details regarding the "very personal matter that occurred five to six years ago as a brief relationship.”
When asked point blank whether he sent the e-mails detailed in the claim document, Foxworth declined comment.
He is the subject of a city investigation into the allegations and has said he did not violate any city rules or regulations and expects to be cleared of any wrongdoing.
Foxworth will remain in his job while the allegations are investigated by the city's human resources bureau, Mayor Tom Potter said in a brief statement Tuesday.
The city would not release further details, citing privacy rules that apply in personnel matters. Potter said he has been aware of the allegations since mid-March.
Oswalt is a 10-year member of the bureau. She has worked as a desk clerk at the North precinct since 1997, said her co-worker, Ray Jones.
Jones said Oswalt left work early Tuesday, citing union business. Oswalt, who lives in Clackamas, is a shop steward for the American Federation of State, Municipal and County Employees.
He said Oswalt had not confided in anyone at the precinct about her allegations, and that he had "never known" her to have contact with Foxworth, whom he called "a straightforward person."
"Unless she has specific pictures or something, I wouldn't believe it," Jones said Tuesday, a day before the legal document was released.
Foxworth also won support Tuesday from Robert King, the president of the Portland Police Association, who said the chief has his confidence, and his respect.
"I know there is a process in place, that is designed to get at the facts and get at the truth," King said. "I was encouraged that he is remaining in his position as the investigation is progressing. I would ask everyone to withhold judgment until the investigation is complete."
Oswalt did not return a phone message left at her home.
Foxworth has been chief of police in Portland since 2003. He was appointed by Potter's predecessor, former Mayor Vera Katz, during a period of turmoil for the city's police force, after an unarmed black woman was shot and killed during a traffic stop.
A Portland native and the second black man to lead Portland's police department, Foxworth is a 22-year veteran of the police department who had previously overseen the bureau's tactical operations unit, its property evidence and identification divisions.
During his tenure, Foxworth and Potter have had a few public spats. Foxworth was unhappy when Potter decided to pull Portland officers out of an FBI-led anti-terrorism team, and the two have disagreed on where to make cuts to the police budget.
The two have a long-standing relationship, though. Before running for mayor, Potter spent 27 years in the Portland Police Bureau. He helped bring Foxworth, 18 years his junior, up through the ranks, and Foxworth served as Potter's public information officer.