Investigation of De Soto National Memorial Sexual Harassment Complaint

An investigation into allegations against a management official at the National Park Service’s (NPS) De Soto National Memorial, Bradenton, FL, revealed that the official behaved inappropriately toward a De Soto employee, violated NPS policies, and misused his position and created potential conflicts of interest.

 

We found that the management official touched the employee inappropriately, made inappropriate comments, and invaded the employee’s personal space. The employee informed us that this contact and attention were unwanted, and that the employee had asked the official many times to stop. The official acknowledged touching the employee and confirmed that the employee had asked him to stop, which he said he did.

 

It was also separately alleged that the official was actively violating NPS policies and retaliating against the employee in various ways for questioning his management decisions. Our investigation confirmed that the official participated in or directed multiple actions that violated policies covering alcohol consumption on park grounds, resident volunteer agreements, and use of black powder (gunpowder) during De Soto’s historical reenactments. Although two other employees at De Soto told us that they felt the official had retaliated against the employee, we could not find conclusive evidence to support their assertions. The official denied knowingly violating policies or retaliating against the employee.

 

In addition, we found that the management official had misused his position and created a potential conflict of interest by vacationing for free at the personal homes of two resident volunteer couples he was friends with. He then directed subordinate staff to allow one of the couples to stay on park grounds without proper documentation, and he authorized the construction of a new parking pad (at a cost of about $1,000) so that they could park their recreational vehicle while staying at De Soto.

 

While the official stated that he had not taken these actions specifically to benefit his friends or as repayment for letting him stay with them while on vacation, we found that his actions gave the appearance that he had failed to act impartially in his official position, failed to avoid the appearance of violating ethical standards, and directed subordinate employees to improperly provide benefits to his friends.

 

This is a summary of a report of investigation that was issued to the acting NPS Director.