PULLMAN, WA – The City of Pullman’s top administrator is returning to work after investigators have cleared him of all allegations that led to him being placed on leave.
City of Pullman Administrator Mike Urban was placed on paid leave by Mayor Francis Benjamin three weeks ago. The city announced Thursday that their independent third party investigation into Urban has been completed and found no wrong doing and that he is back to work. The press release reveals that the false allegations against Urban came from the Washington State Patrol’s investigation into former police chief Jake Opgenorth.
Troopers investigated claims from Opgenorth’s former mistress that he raped her. That case involved tens of thousands of text messages between the two. Troopers attributed three screenshots of text messages to Urban. The city hired an independent investigator to look into those screenshots.
That third party examination definitively determined that those texts did not come from Urban and that he did not engage in any kind of inappropriate conduct. The city has sent those findings to the state patrol to correct the error in the agency’s report. The city release states that Urban did not have a relationship with Opgenorth’s ex-mistress and that Opgenorth had likely used Urban’s name to hide contact information for her on his phone.
Mayor Benjamin issued a statement: “I have worked with Mike for many years. Mike is principled, ethical, caring, and dependable. Mike’s impeccable reputation was exploited by another to conceal deceit. While this is positive news, it does not reduce the profound toll extracted from Mike and everyone who cares about him. I look forward to welcoming Mike back to work.”
Urban has provided a statement to Pullman Radio News: “My family and I are more than relieved that the truth has finally come to light. We have not yet had time to reconcile all our feelings or come to grips with how all of this will impact us for the rest of our lives. Many people were affected. My family and I cannot begin to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown by those who reached out in these dark days. Their courage gave us hope when we needed it most. As my family begins trying to put this nightmare behind us, I look forward to returning to work and serving alongside the outstanding staff at the City of Pullman.”
On Wednesday the Whitman County Prosecutor declined to pursue rape charges against Opgenorth finding the he could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Denis Tracy’s decision is consistent with what the state patrol concluded.
Opgenorth resigned as chief late last month. Interim Chief Aaron Breshears was promoted to the position full time last week.
Mayor Benjamin had previously only stated publicly that Urban was “out of the office.” Thursday’s statement from the city refers to Opgenorth’s ex-mistress as a “private citizen.”
