What Should Have Happened
- Sheriff should have immediately recused himself upon notification
- External agency should have been contacted to handle the investigation
- All communications should have been documented and preserved
- Clear chain of custody should have been established
What Actually Happened
- No recusal occurred; Sheriff remained involved in the matter
- No external agency was engaged at any point
- Communications were handled informally through personal channels
- Text messages were later deleted; no documentation preserved
People Involved
Event Details
Event Summary
In the early morning hours of November 6, 2022, following Marc King ’s OWI arrest, a notification chain was activated. Rather than recusing himself, Mat King became directly involved in the matter.
What Happened
According to sworn testimony, there is conflicting testimony about when the Sheriff was notified:
Notification Chain (per Deputy Duva)
- ~2:30-3:00 a.m.: Phil Pokriefka (Union VP) called Damon Duva (Union President) to inform him of the arrest
- ~3:00-3:30 a.m.: Damon Duva attempted to call Mat King ; the Sheriff did not answer initially
- Shortly after: Mat King called Damon Duva back
- ~3:00 a.m.: Damon Duva also contacted Scott Jones
Sheriff’s Account (per Mat King)
- Mat King stated in his deposition he was notified “mid-morning – 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, sometime like that”
- He contacted Matthew Pohl and Jim Spadafore regarding the incident
- He stated this occurred “sometime around the same – mid-morning hours”
Conflicting Testimony
Note: There is a significant discrepancy between these accounts. Deputy Duva testified he called the Sheriff at approximately 3:00-3:30 a.m. and received a callback, while Sheriff Mat King testified he was notified mid-morning (10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.).
The Failure Point
This was the critical moment where proper governance should have intervened:
What Should Have Happened
- Mat King should have immediately recused himself
- An external agency should have been contacted to handle the investigation
- All communications should have been documented and preserved
- A clear chain of custody should have been established
What Actually Happened
- No recusal occurred
- No external agency was engaged
- The Sheriff maintained involvement in the matter
- Communications were handled informally
- Text messages were later deleted
Significance
This moment represents the governance failure at its core. When the Sheriff chose not to recuse himself, every subsequent action was tainted by the conflict of interest. The integrity of any investigation was compromised before it began.