Though I had been aware of the sexual harassment complaint made against Chief Deputy Deputy Larry Dunklee years before he became a candidate for sheriff, a Herald-Tribune report on Friday told part of the story I didn't know.
It might be the part that now matters most.
As the story said, eight years ago, four women who worked at the Sheriff's Office told internal investigators about on-the-job behaviors by Dunklee, a sergeant at the time, that creeped them out.
One told of an unwanted kiss; others said he had pressed up against them or frequently touched his own crotch when they were in the room.
Only one woman made a formal complaint. Dunklee's superiors first gave him a chance to apologize to her and end the matter without any sort of investigation that could stain his record.
Dunklee explained to his superiors that touching himself was a nervous habit he picked up as a kid, and said his mother had once sought medical advice to help him stop.
That claim might seem like a joke-worthy excuse, and it is unusual from someone seeking election to a major management position.
But it could well be true. There are all sorts of socially awkward nervous tics.
Many people take medications that either help control them or, in some cases, cause them as an unwanted side-effect.
But as the story on Friday reported, when then-Sgt. Dunklee met with the woman to give the required apology, he royally botched it.
He told her she shouldn't have been looking at the part of his body he had been touching, and scolded her for embarrassing him.
What a human resource director's nightmare. You'd expect more sense from even the lowest-level rookie with no hint of management potential.
Dunklee's blockheaded words forced the internal affairs investigation he had almost dodged.
That's when the other women came forward. And as the news story explained, IA investigators concluded Dunklee's nervous habit explanation was plausible. He was reprimanded for being discourteous.
Dunklee hasn't returned my call, but he has complained publicly in the last few days that bringing up this topic now "is political."
Well, duh. Of course it is political. He's seeking a political office.
And as you'd expect, a woman who felt sexually harassed doesn't want Dunklee to get the job.
But maybe Dunklee has learned a thing or two.
This time he didn't accuse anyone of looking where she shouldn't.
Tom Lyons can be contacted at
tom.lyons@heraldtribune.com or (941) 361-4964.