Furnas County attorney hires special counsel

CAMBRIDGE -- Furnas County Attorney Tom Patterson has hired outside counsel to handle accusations from Oxford village manger Dennis Wolzen that Furnas County Sheriff Hank Pulley verbally assaulted and threatened him.

Patterson said this morning that Tim Hoeft, an attorney from Holdrege and Phelps County attorney, will take over the case.

A letter written by Wolzen to Patterson on April 6 detailed Wolzen's confrontation with Pulley on Tuesday, April 5. A copy of the letter was faxed to the Gazette.

In the letter, Wolzen said Pulley entered the city offices and threatened to have his (Wolzen's) job. Wolzen said Pulley accused him of misusing public funds.

Wolzen said he then asked Pulley about rumors that Pulley directs his deputies to make at least one driving-under-the-influence arrest out of Oxford each week.

The argument got louder and the sheriff more belligerent, Wolzen said, before the sheriff stormed out of the office.

Wolzen said his employees appeared to be as shocked by the sheriff's behavior as he was. "I know of no logical reason why Sheriff Pulley has reason to behave the way he did," Wolzen wrote to Patterson.

Wolzen told Patterson he wants to file charges of intimidation, verbal threats, official misconduct, use of vulgarity (in the presence of a female employee) and disruption and disturbance of the peace.

Pulley told McCook Publisher Gene Morris the confrontation is the culmination of five years of differences with Wolzen.