Yocom hid harassment probe, says attorney

Salt Lake County likely will be sued over alleged sexual harassment in the county clerk's office — a situation, some say, District Attorney David Yocom has swept under the rug because of political and personal ties.

A former clerk's office employee filed a notice of claim with the county on July 14, alleging that in the summer of 2001, then-chief deputy clerk Nick Floros sexually harassed her verbally and physically. The allegations include statements that Floros kissed her neck, touched her breasts, exposed himself and requested her to engage in sexual behavior he witnessed in pornographic movies.

Last year, the woman filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which conducted an investigation and concluded she had a legitimate case.

She also complained to the county, whereupon Yocom initiated his own investigation, reportedly engaging two outside attorneys for that purpose. That investigation concluded early this year, with the two attorneys reportedly concluding the same thing as the EEOC.

So far, however, Yocom has refused to make the investigation report public. Floros was allowed to work from home for a few weeks and then quietly retire on Jan. 31.

Sources within the county say the woman — who says she had a previous relationship with Floros that ended before the time of the alleged harassment — wasn't the only one harassed, whether in the clerk's office or the surveyor's office, where Floros worked for a time.

Floros declined to comment when contacted by the Deseret Morning News.

Several weeks after Floros left, he was replaced with Yocom's son, Jason. Yocom's wife, Linda, also has been an employee in the clerk's office. County Clerk Sherrie Swensen has defended the hirings, saying they had nothing to do with David Yocom and that the two family members were qualified for their positions.

Supporters of County Mayor Nancy Workman — against whom Yocom recently brought felony charges of misuse of public money — have compared her case unfavorably with Floros', saying Yocom has chosen the cases he wants to pursue based on politics, personal animosity and personal connections.

Salt Lake County has 18 elected officials, of which five are Democrats. Three of them are County Council members; Yocom and Swensen are the other two.

"There's no question that there's political stuff going on here," said the woman's attorney, Ralph Chamness. "My client was severely damaged, and for them to play political games with this is just outrageous."

"I'm very troubled by what I hear," Republican County Councilman Russell Skousen said. "I think it merits further investigation by the council."