Brandi Bateman, executive assistant to Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Randy Garrison, appeared in Yavapai Superior Court on Monday, March 18, after being charged with three felonies by Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk in November.
Garrison, who attended Monday’s hearing, said that he had been informed of the charges as soon as Bateman was interviewed by the Sedona police in August 2018 and that he has seen no reason to doubt her work since she started employment under him in February 2018.
Garrison said he had contacted the Yavapai County Human Resources Department and had been cleared to keep her on and that he believes she is innocent until proven guilty. YC Human Resources Director Wendy Ross confirmed that the county was aware of the situation and made no official recommendation regarding Bateman’s employment.
“I’ve always found Brandi to be honest and ethical in everything she does and I believe that, at the end of the day, that will prove out and this will all go away, but, unfortunately, at the moment, she’s having to deal with this on top of everything else,” Garrison said. “We’ll see her day in court and go from there.”
Bateman is accused of one count of taking identity of another, a Class 4 felony, as well as two charges of tampering with a public record, a Class 6 felony, in relation to an incident in February 2018; Bateman, then employed as an administrative assistant for the Mingus Union High School District, wrote a letter to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office purporting to be from then-MUHSD Superintendent Penny Hargrove — without Hargrove’s knowledge or consent.
If found guilty, Bateman could face up to 3.75 years in prison.
Coconino County Prosecutor Eric Ruchensky said at the hearing that he would be willing to seek probation instead of a prison sentence.
The Sedona Police Department investigated the alleged crime instead of Cottonwood PD to avoid a conflict for CPD Chief Steve Gesell, who sat on the MUHSD board at the time. According to a report filed by Sedona PD, Bateman reportedly filed a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office
on Oct. 25, 2017, alleging multiple violations of Arizona open meeting laws by the MUHSD Governing Board.
The Attorney General’s office sent the district a letter on Jan. 10, 2018, regarding the complaint.
On Feb. 8, 2018, Bateman wrote and sent the letter below to O.H. Skinner, a staff member in the AG’s office, in response. The signature space beneath Hargrove’s name was left blank.
“Dear Mr. Skinner,
“The Governing Board of Mingus Union High School District #4 denies any violations of Open Meeting Law of the meetings listed on your correspondence. To that we provided the agendas and minutes to both meetings. No audio or video recording exists of these meetings, Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have, my contact information is below.
“Sincerely,
“Dr. Penny Hargrove
“Superintendent
“Mingus Union High School District #4”
Sgt. Michael Dominguez interviewed Hargrove on July 26, 2018.
The police report states: “Penny [Hargrove] clearly stated at no time did she give Brandi [Bateman] permission to author any MUHSD #4 document without her approval. Penny has never given Brandi permission to use her name on a document that wasn’t reviewed and approved.”
The day after she sent her letter, Feb. 9, 2018, Bateman began working as Garrison’s executive assistant and resigned from her position with MUHSD.
According to the police report, the district was not aware of either letter until May 2018, at which point Susan Segal, of the law firm Gust Rosenfeld, who has frequently been retained by MUHSD, began an investigation.
Segal provided her investigation’s findings to Sedona police.
Sedona police interviewed all members of the MUHSD Governing Board, including Gesell, on July 14 and 30. Police asked the witnesses if any of them had given Bateman permission to act on Hargrove’s behalf in official matters.
On Aug. 22, 2018, Sedona police interviewed Bateman at Garrison’s office regarding the investigation.
According to the police report, Bateman admitted to writing and sending the letter on Hargrove’s behalf without permission.
“Brandi [Bateman] clearly understood what she did was wrong and believed she was acting in the best interest of the MUHSD #4,” Dominguez wrote in the report. “Brandi had a strained relationship with Penny [Hargrove] during this time, and when I explained the perception of her actions — making the complaint, responding to her own complaint on behalf of MUHSD #4 and denying the complaint without advising Penny — it appears she was setting the business up to fail. Brandi agreed with this assessment.”
Dominguez told Bateman that she was being charged with forgery, criminal impersonation and tampering with a public record. A grand jury indicted Batemen on Nov. 2, 2018.
Ruchensky declined to comment for this article, as did Bateman’s lawyer Jeff Gautreaux.
Garrison argued that the case has been taken out of proportion due to Bateman’s open meeting law complaint against the school board.
“I think this is purely a case of retribution, and I think at the end of the day she’ll be found to have done the right thing,” Garrison said. “I can’t help but support her through this until it’s proven otherwise. It’s unfortunate because I think Brandi’s a great person and doesn’t deserve what she’s going through but unfortunately she is.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
