Suttle rescinds job offer, sources say

A man accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy in the late 1990s will not join Mayor-elect Jim Suttle's administration when he takes office next week, The World-Herald has learned.

Two people with knowledge of the situation — who spoke on the condition of anonymity — said today that Matthew Samp will not serve as Suttle's co-chief of staff. Suttle had scheduled a press conference for the afternoon to make the announcement, the sources said.

Suttle's announcement comes after several community leaders and residents were appalled that the mayor-elect told The World-Herald that he would not look into the allegations, which involved Samp, the boy and another man.

The boy, Brad Fuglei, told police that he had a sexual relationship with Samp starting when he was 14. Samp was about 23 at the time. Fuglei went to police five years later, in 2001, when he was 19. He killed himself a week later.

It is illegal for an adult to have sex with someone under 16. Samp was never arrested or charged in the case.

Neither Suttle nor Samp could be reached for comment at midday today.

Today, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine criticized Suttle's comments that he would not pursue more information about the case.

"This is a very serious allegation and shouldn't be taken lightly," he said.

Kleine, a fellow Democrat, was equally concerned that Suttle hadn't done more checking previously despite the fact that Suttle said he had heard "embarrassing rumors" in the past about Samp.

Suttle has a responsibility to check out rumors and allegations when appointing a person to a government job working with the public, Kleine said.

In a Saturday interview about the allegations, Suttle referred to leaving people's private lives private. Kleine, however, said that distinction disappears when people are put in a position of public trust.

"Once you become involved in government, it's not private business anymore," he said, "especially if you're talking allegations that are inappropriate or potentially criminal."

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning said Sunday that he wanted Suttle to rescind his offer to hire Samp.

"We can't have someone like that working in government," he said of Samp.

Bruning said an Omaha father contacted him earlier this year, concerned about e-mails and other communication that his 16-year-old son recently had been receiving from Samp. Although the interaction was not criminal, Bruning, a Republican, said he notified two Democratic leaders about the complaint.

When Bruning heard about Samp's city job recently, "I was sick to my stomach and angry," Bruning said. "The citizens of Omaha deserve better."

Virgil Patlan, a retired Omaha police officer and current president of the Burlington Road Neighborhood Association in south Omaha, said Sunday that Samp should have an intensive background check, including a polygraph test, to determine whether the report of a sexual relationship with a teen is true.

Patlan said Suttle's decision to not seek more information on the allegation was ridiculous.

"The mayor has a priority to protect the community," he said. "You just can't hire anybody. The city has a right to know the truth."

Kris Pierce, former executive director of Douglas County Democrats, said Sunday that Samp has been a "great resource to the party" but that Pierce would support whatever decision Suttle made about Samp's job.

"He was very active in activating youth," Pierce said. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for what he's done" for the party.

A 2001 police investigation into the report about Samp stalled when the youth killed himself a week after filing a police report.

Patlan said Samp, expected to handle communication with external groups such as neighborhood associations, would have no credibility unless he was cleared.

"If the kid was still alive," Patlan said, "the question remains: Where would Samp be now? Would he be in prison? There's too many questions."

Omaha resident Amy Adams, who attended high school with Fuglei, was incensed Sunday to hear that Suttle wasn't investigating further.

"That disgusts me," she said. "If allegations come up and you don't look into it, that seems ridiculous."

City Councilman Jim Vokal, who ran for mayor but lost in the April 7 primary election, said Sunday that it was "fairly arrogant" of Suttle to not seek more information about the allegations. Vokal said Suttle instead should be "making sure he is protecting the public."

Suttle told The World-Herald on Saturday that he previously heard "embarrassing rumors" about Samp, whom he first employed during his 2005 bid for the City Council. Though he declined to give details, Suttle said he asked Samp about the gossip, which Samp said wasn't true.

Suttle's decision to not perform background checks surprised some.

"That's like the president saying he doesn't background people who work at the White House," said Adams, who said she has undergone background checks at least three times when applying for jobs.

Patlan said he had to have a background check done to join his neighborhood's citizen patrol, even though he'd been a police officer.

"I had no problem with that," he said.

• Contact the writer: 444-1208, karyn.spencer@owh.com

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