Oak Creek town council members are in discussions with a potential candidate in the search to hire an interim police chief needed to fill a position that has been vacant for more than nine months.

The town’s former police chief, Ralph Maher, retired from law enforcement in March in the wake of an investigation into his alleged conduct at an all-male entertainment show held at the Colorado Bar earlier this year.

During the “Magic Hunks” performance at the Oak Creek establishment, which is now closed, on Jan. 21, witnesses alleged the former chief of police acted inappropriately while in uniform and on duty inside the establishment.

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Patrons attending the show alleged Maher attempted to enforce state liquor code rules barring acts that simulate “sexual intercourse, masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, oral copulation, flagellation or any sexual acts which are prohibited by law.”

Maher was placed on restricted duties before the town moved forward with an investigation into his conduct during the show and in other situations.

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In addition to finding Maher acted “unprofessionally” during the performance, which included a failure to act his body camera — a violation of state law — the investigation also found evidence that Maher had violated additional department policies in repeated attempts to pull individuals over for speeding.

The investigation confirmed complaints that alleged the former chief would face a speeding car in the opposite direction before activating his lights and driving “partially out of his lane into the opposing lane of traffic to slow down the speeding car.”

Without a police chief or any officer working for the department since Maher’s departure, the town entered into an agreement with the Routt County Sheriff’s Office over the summer to pay for deputies to respond to calls in Oak Creek.

“We have completely relied on the services of Routt County, and I believe they have had a pretty high presence in town considering their staffing and suddenly you are taking on a whole other town,” said Mayor Melissa Dobbins on Wednesday.

“The thing that is very concerning to me is we really need to get a handle on mental health, and, I believe, domestic violence. I feel like those are two key aspects that grossly need attention,” added the mayor.

Dobbins also noted that hiring a police chief, at least in the interim, would help tackle code enforcement, which she said has been “a constant ache in the town.”

“We really need to be able to get code enforcement handled, especially with winter rolling in, we need people to move their vehicles, we need to clear out their trash, so we don’t have spring mess that we are going to be looking at. We still have campers parked on roadways,” Dobbins said.

In addition to filing the police chief role, the town is also seeking to hire a new town administrator to take the position left open by David Torgler who took the post in 2021 to fill a new role in Cedaredge with a goal of being closer to his family.

Mary Alice Page-Allen has filled the town administrator and clerk role on an interim basis following Torgler’s departure.

Dobbins said Wednesday that the town has increased its offered pay range for the town’s administrator position to roughly $110,000 to $135,000 in the hopes of attracting qualified applicants. The role has also been adjusted to include only the administrator duties without performing the work of a town clerk as well, according to Dobbins.

As the personnel search continues for the key positions, Dobbins explained Wednesday that the town was approached by Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar who recommended an interim replacement for the Oak Creek police department.

Along with Page-Allen and Town Council member Bernie Gagne, Dobbins sat down with Ty Bricker in early November to discuss his interest in the police chief position. Bricker, who lives in Phippsburg with his wife and five children, holds a military and law enforcement background.

“I am going to say, personally, I left very impressed and dare and I say excited about the potential of having an incredibly qualified candidate whose background is federal with the National Forest Service with extensive certifications,” said Dobbins

“And I just think an eagerness to be invested in this community and is aware of our challenges that we face here in Oak Creek … not just as a town and the community but as our department and what the future of our department looks like and the need of the department,” the mayor added.

Gagne said he was similarly impressed with Bricker’s background working for the U.S. Forest Service’s law enforcement branch and the potential candidates military experience.

“That’s some good stuff, some of the things that really struck me: The resume, outstanding, the other thing that comes up is the support and the high recommendation by (Sheriff) Doug Scherar,” said Gagne.

Gagne also noted that Bricker seemed to be a good fit not only for the department’s relationship with the Routt County Sheriff’s Office but also for the type of “community policing” required of the chief position in Oak Creek.

“The reason he stepped out with law enforcement about four years ago, when he did step out, he has a number of kids in the school district, and he is trying to wrap up his Ph.D. in U.S. History,” said Gagne.

“The third thing, he was just a little bit dissatisfied with law enforcement in general with the amount of hard-core military, type personnel that are attracted to the profession and seem to lack the empathy and the community spirit,” he added. “The community policing as its generally described is very much what I saw in the interview.”

Brinker could not be reached for comment prior to this newspaper’s Wednesday deadline.

Page-Allen said Bricker is currently working to ensure his law enforcement certifications are current and that the town would continue discussions over a potential contract that would see him assume the police chief role for at least a six-month period.

“We will see where it goes and if it continues, we will take the next steps,” she added.