ANDERSON — A state police investigation into Anderson City Councilman Rodney Chamberlain is “simply politically motivated” and a “witch hunt,” his attorney said Thursday.
Indiana State Police recently began an investigation that last week included subpoenas for timecards from the Anderson city controller’s office and parks department, as well as records of payments to Chamberlain from North Side Middle School and the now-closed South Side Middle School. That information will be provided by state police to Madison County Prosecutor Thomas Broderick Jr. for his review.
Contacted Thursday, Chamberlain declined comment and referred questions to his attorney, Daniel Whitehead.
“This is not ghost employment,” Whitehead said. “We will vigorously defend his character.”
He said he and Chamberlain were cooperating in the investigation and hoped to arrive at a settlement. But he also said Chamberlain had done nothing wrong and worked more than 40 hours a week for the parks department. Whitehead said he was “prepared to open up the floodgate of information” concerning payments and time records involving other city employees.
“If Rodney Chamberlain is guilty of ghost employment,” Whitehead said, “they need to turn over every city employee’s timecard. ... We are very upset that they’re doing (the investigation), but let them keep doing it. Bring it.”
Whitehead said “it’s an embarrassingly small amount” that Chamberlain, who is recreation superintendent at the parks department, received from the two Anderson schools, but he did not provide a dollar figure. He said “on the rarest occasions” that Chamberlain provided services as a disc jockey or helped officiate games at the schools.
“This is the hot case?” Whitehead said.
It’s unknown how much Chamberlain received in payments from North Side and South Side middle schools during the period covered by the subpoenas, from January 2007 until Oct. 26 of this year. Such payments were not approved by the school board.
Anderson Community Schools Business Manager Kevin Brown said he didn’t believe the payments involved tax dollars. He said they came from extracurricular money at the schools, generated by fundraisers, and he was unaware how much was involved.
“It doesn’t involve the (Anderson Community Schools) corporate books at all,” Brown said.
Contact Dave Stafford: 648-4250, dave.stafford@heraldbulletin.com
Local News
Related Photos
-
Jennifer Goldsmith
Discussion
Attorney says case a ‘witch hunt’
Councilman under state police investigation
- Local News
-
-
Anderson man dies at Monroe Reservoir; 3 others arrested
Memorial Day weekend took a tragic turn Saturday evening as an Anderson man visiting Monroe Reservoir died. Three other Anderson men were arrested later that day following the death of Matthew Hosier, 29.
-
Getting Together: Silence not golden for this library program
Certain rules govern almost all libraries: be quiet, don’t mar the pages and absolutely no food or drinks on the premises. But a small group of patrons wait until after hours, lock themselves in the back room of the Alexandria-Monroe Public Library, eat popcorn, drink soda and loudly scoff as they watch bad movies.
-
Veteran receiving Bronze Star 68 years late
An Army veteran will be awarded a Bronze Star on Memorial Day — 68 years after he was originally supposed to receive it.
-
Memorial Day activities set
For Memorial Day weekend, here’s a list of activities to participate in.
-
Arrest Log: May 28
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Saturday, based on Madison County Jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers, but are not final until the Madison County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
- Conservation officers arrest Anderson boater on alcohol charge
-
What's Where: May 28
Local activities are scheduled Monday.
-
Handicapped murder convict alleges prison discrimination
Since October 2006, Donald Lock has been confined to a wheel chair because of a degenerative bone disease. He has spent time at correctional facilities throughout the state, but it wasn’t until he was transferred to Pendleton earlier this year that he said he felt his disability was ignored.
-
Arrest log: May 27
The following arrest log appears in the Sunday edition of The Herald Bulletin.
-
Parents at Little League say coach took money
Parents of the North Anderson Little League filed a complaint with police against a former coach who they say stole fundraiser money.
- More Local News Headlines
-
