Wyoming and Casper’s self-insurance programs are together paying $200,000 to two female detectives who accused their boss of failing to fire a male detective, whom they called sexually inappropriate and retaliatory, at the Casper Police Department, according to a lawsuit settlement agreement released Monday to Cowboy State Daily.
Former Casper Police Department detectives Shannon Daley and Keri Patrick sued Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters and the City of Casper two years ago.
They accused McPheeters of failing to fire Detective Chase Nash. Nash made sexual comments around department employees and workers from other city or county departments – describing the size of his genitalia, his libido and other sexual topics, says the women’s 2022 lawsuit complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming. After a male coworker prompted an internal investigation against Nash, Nash waged a retaliation campaign against the women, the complaint alleges.
Nash told Cowboy State Daily on Monday that the women’s allegations against him are false.
“I never bragged about – you know it just disgusts me to say these words – but I never bragged about any body part of mine,” said Nash. “Some of my comments were taken way out of context, after I complained about Shannon Daley’s behavior.”
Nash said Daley was the one who was inappropriate at work.
“She’s basing that whole thing off hearsay and rumors,” he said, adding that he never sabotaged any of her cases, and that he generally tried to stay away from her.
He said a sergeant to whom a female coworker had complained about Daley “didn’t do anything about it.”
Nash said he holds no ill will toward Daley or Patrick, despite the nature of their publicly-filed allegations against him.
He has since retired from his police work in Casper, Nash said.
Cop Jokes
Patrick wasn’t interviewed during the internal investigation into Nash, but if she had been, she would have divulged Nash’s inappropriate remarks at a 2019 homicide scene where the dead person was still on scene, says the document.
“(He talked about) redheads having the highest libidos, (asked) the women how much they masturbated, and (discussed) the size of his penis,” the complaint says.
Daley was interviewed during the internal investigation, but she played Nash’s behavior down at that time, saying that was just cop humor intended to ease the job’s tension.
After the 2021 investigation, the investigating panel recommended the department fire Nash, says the complaint, which also accused McPheeters of not accepting the panel’s recommendation.
The document says that Nash launched a retaliation campaign against Daley after his investigation, accusing her of childish or obnoxious behavior – perhaps believing that she had gotten him in trouble.
The complaint accuses Nash of sabotaging investigations, belittling Patrick while she tried to investigate a death, and stirring up a hostile workplace.
The Terms
Neither McPheeters nor the City of Casper admitted to any wrongdoing, says the settlement, adding that they merely settled the case to save the taxpayers money, avoid the delay and expense of trial and prevent future litigation.
One of its terms is that the women can’t sue again for any injury – known or unknown – arising from their employment with the city.
The Wyoming State Self Insurance Program is paying $75,000 to the women on behalf of McPheeters in his individual capacity, and the Wyoming Association of Risk Management is paying the women $125,000 on behalf of the City of Casper – for a total of $200,000.
Everyone involved is paying their own legal costs and attorney’s fees, says the document.
Recognizing the settlement, which the parties reached after mediation in July, U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl dismissed the case Sept. 30 at the parties’ request.
No Comment
McPheeters’ office referred Cowboy State Daily to the Casper city attorney for comment; the attorney could not be reached by publication time.
Casper’s public information coordinator declined Monday to comment.
Daley and Patrick’s attorney Marci Bramlet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
These silences are unsurprising in light of the settlement’s non-disparagement clause.
“If a party is asked about the Action or this settlement, the party will limit its statement to state only… ‘the case was resolved,’” the document says.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
