Provo officials heard about sexual misconduct by police chief years before alleged rape


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PROVO — Provo city officials learned about complaints of sexual misconduct by former Police Chief John King more than a year before a rape allegation brought about King’s resignation, according to a new lawsuit and interviews with those close to the case.

City Council members told the Deseret News that they held a closed-door meeting about King’s conduct in late 2015 or early 2016. The lawsuit alleges that Congressman John Curtis, then Provo’s mayor, chilled reporting by telling police department supervisors in fall 2014 that “he did not want to receive any more complaints about Chief King.”

"Chief King was going to remain chief of the department as long as Curtis was in office and there was nothing the supervisors could do about it,” reads the complaint, filed Tuesday in 4th District Court.

In a statement, Curtis said that the allegations about King are "appalling," that he "strongly condemns" King's reported actions, and that the women who have come forward "have my full support."

"Despite what's being inaccurately reported, I would never shield or protect a predator or abuser," he said in the statement. "I have a history of doing the exact opposite, and I'm confident as the legal process unfolds, the details will show I acted responsibly given the information I had at the time."

The five women plaintiffs seek an undefined amount in excess of $600,000 compensation, as well as new measures to prevent sexual misconduct from occurring in Provo city government.

To read the full story, visit DeseretNews.com.

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