News
Resigning Police Chief focus of internal affairs complaint
Posted: Jun 16, 2010 4:42 PM by James Jarman
Updated: Jun 17, 2010 9:48 AM
More questions are surfacing after the resignation of a local police chief. A few employees inside the Fountain Police Department tell News First Investigates there's much more to the story.
We've confirmed a complaint was filed about 2 months ago by man who thinks his wife was having an inappropriate relationship with Police Chief Dan Corsentino. The husband who filed the complaint tells News First Investigates that it surrounds sexually-laced text messages between his wife and the Chief.
He says the Colorado Springs Police Department headed up the investigation. The CSPD will not confirm that, but referred us to the City of Fountain.
Sources inside the Fountain Police Department tell News First 5 the internal affairs investigation into that complaint was recently completed. News First Investigates has requested a copy of the report from the City of Fountain, but has not received a response. News First 5 is also requesting all emails and text messages sent from the Chief of Police.
While looking into that, we've been hearing other complaints about the Chief from officers in the department.
A high ranking insider asking to remain anonymous for now, tells us Corsentino's spending was over the top. Records News First Investigates obtained show it's not uncommon to see Corsentino's monthly credit card bills over a thousand dollars. He also spent thousands of tax dollars filling up the gas tank on his patrol car.
"Taxpayers were funding his travels to and from Pueblo," our source says. Corsentino's home is in Pueblo. That kind of gasoline billing stopped in January, when concerns were raised. Corsentino started driving his personal car.
Insiders also point to other examples of questionable spending, including a comedian from California brought in for a police department retreat. Overall, the comedian's trip cost taxpayers more than $2,000. Catering for the event was $722. We're told officers thought it was a waste of money.
"We have patrol cars that need tires, windshields, radios... there's these equipment needs and obviously bringing in a comedian was more of a priority than actually taking care of basic needs." Our source says, "So, it was seen as a waste of city taxpayer money."
Besides money management issues, another thing that bothered officers involves Jeanne Assam, famous for bringing down the New Life Church shooter in 2007. They have no issues with her, except someone at the police department apparently lied and said she was an employee, so she could attend the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention last Fall. Junk mail addressed to "Fountain Police Trainer" Jeanne Assam keeps coming to the Fountain Police Department.
"Jeanne Assam was never an employee in the City of Fountain, nor a volunteer... no relation to the department," says our source.
News first Investigates left a message for Chief Corsentino, but it was not returned.
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