After a month on paid administrative leave during an investigation into claims of intimidation and harassment by current and former employees, Grays Harbor Juvenile Detention Center director David Christensen is back to work.

The complaints included sexual harassment, intimidation, ageism and two incidents of reported mishandling of suicidal detainees.

Christensen denied the accusations during an investigation conducted by attorney Richard H. Kaiser, who was retained by the county’s state risk management pool attorney Andrew G. Cooley to conduct a workplace investigation.

A dozen complaints were given to Superior Court Judge David L. Edwards — who as presiding judge is in charge of all personnel matters pertaining to the Juvenile Court and detention facility — Dec. 20 by local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union representative Hannah Franks.

“The written statements set forth accusations of misconduct against the Director of the Juvenile Detention Facility, including claims that he had engaged in verbal harassment, harsh language, intimidation and sexual harassment,” wrote Edwards in a statement to The Daily World.

Franks wrote in her summary of complaints to Edwards that the union wanted Christensen “removed from direct contact with the staff until the completion of an external investigation.” She continued, “The Union believes that a reasonable person would feel that the work environment is hostile and that Dave Christensen has been bullying and harassing staff.”

Numerous calls from The Daily World to Franks for a comment from the union were not returned.

Christensen declined to comment when contacted by the paper.

Six of the complaints were submitted by current employees of the county’s juvenile detention facility and six by former employees. Four of the complaints were submitted anonymously. They included accusations of:

Intimidation

Christensen was accused of creating a hostile work environment where employees were in constant fear of termination and felt threatened they would be fired if they reported their concerns to Edwards or anyone else.

“There are just too many instances where Dave has conducted himself unprofessionally and where he has bullied and threatened the jobs of his employees,” wrote one former employee, who said she left the facility because of the stress and anxiety she felt under Christensen.

Edwards said when he hired Christensen to the position in March of 2017, he directed him to take the needed steps to get the detention staff to follow the rules and do their jobs as required, providing the kind of leadership and guidance that Edwards said was lacking previously.

“When he came in and suddenly started requiring everyone follow rules he became unpopular quickly with some people,” said Edwards. “In the first year he terminated the employment of five out of 17 employees, almost a third, and that caused hard feelings. In fact many of the complaints received were from people who obviously had an ax to grind with Christensen.”

Christensen told Kaiser, who conducted the investigation, that he believed those who had written the complaints were lying. When asked why, he told Kaiser, “It’s retaliation for holding them to standards. They think that I’m the reason people get fired.” Christensen said to Kaiser he has caught staff sleeping on duty and engaging in sexual conduct, and stated, according to the report, “They just want their way. I ruined a good thing when I showed up. The judge said the detention center needed structure.”

Sexual harassment

Some former and current employees accused Christensen of making inappropriate comments toward women in the workplace, including discussions about women’s underwear and certain employees’ bodies. In Kaiser’s report, one officer claimed when she had taken the job at the detention center she was a blonde. When she changed her hair color, she said Christensen treated her more critically. She told Kaiser she changed her hair color back to blonde in part because she hoped Christensen would treat her better and more “like a human being.”

Christensen denied these and other comments attributed to him in the complaint.

Age-based comments

Some complainants said Christensen favored the younger employees over the older. One said Christensen said some people on staff were too old for the job; “We have to get younger ones. They are too old. This job might not be for them,” according to Kaiser’s report.

When Kaiser told Christensen about these accusations, Christensen said these allegations disturbed him and said, “I am one of them (the older worker). I understand. I do not mess with people’s lives. It’s not just their jobs.”

Handling of suicidal detainees

The complaints alleged Christensen didn’t correctly handle situations with suicidal youth in two separate instances. In one, a youth wrapped a phone cord around his or her neck; Christensen allegedly responded by ripping the phone out of the wall. In another, staff placed a detainee in isolation for a mental health evaluation. Christensen allegedly intervened and placed the youth back into the general population before an evaluation could be performed.

Kaiser said he could not find any specific records regarding either incident. Christensen told Kaiser he never removed a suicidal youth from isolation, saying, “I don’t have the authority. It’s up to mental health.” Kaiser said Christensen added that addressing suicidal youth was not a joke.

Kaiser wrote in his report that “Many of the allegations in these complaints” received by the county Dec. 20 “are outside the scope of this investigation.”

Edwards’ conclusion

Edwards said his decision to put Christensen back to work was partially based on a lack of a pattern of misconduct.

“The accusations identify three or four I think statements that he made that are being characterized as sexual harassment over a period of 20 months employment. To me the accusations don’t describe a pattern of conduct where the employees are being subjected to verbal or sexual harassment on any kind of ongoing basis,” Edwards told The Daily World. “Four times in 20 months, isolated incidents, that was important to me when determining what type of discipline I should be imposing and whether the conduct is capable of being corrected.”

Edwards noted the investigator’s report said witnesses provided “contradictory accounts” of the alleged age and gender based incidents and in both cited instances of Christensen’s alleged mishandling of suicidal youth at the detention center.

Some of the accusations had merit, said Edwards, and involved conduct not acceptable in the workplace.

“It was my opinion that the offending conduct could be corrected with a combination of training and education in the areas of management skills and personnel supervision,” said Edwards in his statement. “The Director is a valuable employee and steps can be taken to ensure that the mistakes made by him in the past will not be repeated.”

Edwards met with Christensen Jan. 18 and instructed him to complete several training programs “to assist him in becoming a better supervisor and manager.” Edwards also “made it clear” rules and policies regarding workplace conduct would need to be followed “effective immediately.”

“I am confident that our current employees at the Detention Facility will be treated with respect and dignity,” said Edwards.

Facility’s recent history factored into decision

“The circumstances that existed when he took over were a complete lack of discipline in the detention facility, and there had been no oversight by the prior director, no leadership,”Edwards said, “and even though we have rules and policies in place those were not being enforced and the employees not being monitored regarding compliance with those (rules and policies).”

Edwards said that lack of oversight caused “some serious problems at the facility,” including some workers abusing sick leave, coming in to work late on a regular basis, employees not keeping proper track of hours worked, and nobody monitoring the employee work records.

Disciplinary procedures were also not being followed, said Edwards.