What Should Have Happened
- Charging procedures should apply equally to all officers investigated
- Statement of charges should be prepared for all identified policy violations
- External prosecutor should review cases involving Sheriff's family
- Documentation should be consistent across parallel investigations
What Actually Happened
- Charges prepared for Marc King but no statement of charges for Scott Jones
- Differential treatment applied despite both being under investigation
- No external review of charging decisions
- Text communications from this period were later deleted
People Involved
Event Details
Overview
The day after Marc King ’s OWI arrest, official paperwork was prepared to formally request charges. This documentation process reveals key details about how the Sheriff’s Office handled the administrative side of the incident—particularly who was involved in preparing the paperwork and when.
The Charging Process
Carol Brown Prepares Documentation
The request to charge was prepared by Carol Brown on November 7, 2022. Matthew Pohl clarified the timing in his deposition:
AAnd I don’t believe he dictated the request to charge at 11:06 a.m. because he would not have been at work so that time should coincide when Carol Brown prepared the request to charge.
Entry in Official Records
The deposition confirms the documentation of this step in official records:
Q11/6, and then there’s another entry, if you go back to page 6, on 11/7, request to charge prepared on Marcus King on 11/7. Do you see that?
Parallel Investigations
Matthew Pohl was involved in both the Marc King investigation and the Scott Jones investigation, but handled them differently:
AWhen we mete out discipline, so there was – I never prepared a statement of charges for Scott Jones. For Marcus King I did and I was involved in both investigations.
This disparity in treatment—formal charges for King but not for Jones—becomes significant when examining how the Sheriff’s Office applied disciplinary standards.
Timeline Context
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| Nov 6, 2022 (early AM) | Marc King arrested for OWI |
| Nov 6, 2022 (morning) | Command staff notified |
| Nov 7, 2022 | Request to charge prepared by Carol Brown |
| Nov 7, 2022 | Text messages between officials discussed |
Why This Matters
The prompt preparation of charging documents for Marc King demonstrates that official processes can move quickly when applied. This stands in contrast to:
- The handling of Scott Jones - No statement of charges was ever prepared despite an investigation
- Documentation gaps - While charging paperwork was prepared, text message communications from the same period were not preserved
- Differential treatment - The contrast raises questions about whether similar incidents received similar procedural handling
Open Questions
- What specific charges were requested in this paperwork?
- Who reviewed and approved the request to charge?
- How does this timeline compare to standard procedures for similar offenses?
- Why was a statement of charges prepared for King but not Jones?
Related Documentation Needs
- Request to charge document (via FOIA)
- Carol Brown’s role and chain of reporting
- Comparison to charging timelines in other officer-involved OWI cases