An investigator hired by Oak Creek officials is looking into the alleged conduct of the town’s chief of police in relation to a pair of incidents that occurred at the Colorado Bar in recent months.

The investigator, Paul Schultz, is examining Chief Ralph Maher’s actions during a show at the bar put on by an all-male entertainment group called the Magic Hunks on Jan. 21, Town Manager David Torgler said Friday.

Schultz, who is a principal consultant for the Denver-based Municipal Police Consultants firm and holds 40 years of law enforcement experience, is also looking into a November incident when the bar’s owner, Lauren Verbosky, says police failed to act after she reported being assaulted by an unruly patron.

Torgler explained the town hired Schultz to investigate the complaints “and find out what the truth of them is.”

“Everybody always explains something from their perspective, and I was taught a long time ago what you believe and what I believe are our truth, but reality lies somewhere in between,” he said.

According to witnesses, Maher was in uniform and on duty inside the Colorado Bar just before the Magic Hunks performance began the night of Jan. 21, and he maintained an aggressive presence throughout the evening as he attempted to stop the performance on multiple occasions.

Torgler said this week that the police chief’s body camera was not activated at the time of the performance; however, a video reviewed by The Steamboat Pilot & Today shows Maher standing near the stage before abruptly slamming his hand down and storming toward the performers in an apparent attempt to break up the dancing.

The second incident under investigation occurred around midnight Nov. 25 after Verbosky said a belligerent patron of the bar attacked her, causing her to dislocate her shoulder, as she attempted to remove him from the establishment.

Verbosky said she called police after she was able to get the individual outside and lock the door. An officer arrived on scene about a half hour after the call, she recalled, adding that the individual who assaulted her was then placed in the back of a police car.

Four days later, Verbosky said, Maher and the responding officer returned to investigate and the bartender provided written statements, but it is unclear if any further action was taken.

Oak Creek police confirmed Friday they received a call for service from the Colorado Bar the night of the incident and an officer responded to location. However, countywide arrest logs show the Oak Creek Police Department made no arrests on either Nov. 25, Nov. 26 or in the weeks that followed.

At a Town Council meeting in January, some Oak Creek residents, including Verbosky, voiced their concerns about the chief’s actions, including his perceived behavior at the Magic Hunks show.

Torgler said it was his understanding the chief was attempting enforce state liquor regulations pertaining to entertainment hosted by a licensed establishment.

The rules prohibit any person from performing or simulating acts including “sexual intercourse, masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, oral copulation, flagellation or any sexual acts which are prohibited by law.”

Verbosky, who said she has spoken with Schultz, maintains her establishment did not violate any regulations and told council members at their meeting last month about her experience from November, explaining that she does not “feel protected” by Maher.

Maher was assigned to administrative duties following the Magic Hunks show, according to Torgler. He said Friday the chief is continuing on desk duty as the investigation proceeds but added the chief “is available if an emergency arises.”

Torgler said he expects a report from Schultz by the end of the month and would work with town officials to discuss how they would communicate its contents to the public.

“I want to be open with the community. I also need to protect the community from liability, so depending on what the report says, we will release what we can,” he added.

Maher declined to comment on either of the incidents under investigation.

He was sworn in as Oak Creek’s chief of police in 2015 after spending 19 years with the police department in Fountain, which is just south of Colorado Springs. His career also includes a 10-month stint as the chief of police in Yuma.