In comments to the media, Skousen had alluded to the Floros situation earlier this summer, whereupon Swensen and deputy district attorney Valerie Wilde requested a meeting to tell Skousen he would be personally liable in any lawsuit arising from those comments.

Skousen later said Yocom was using the meeting to intimidate him into silence, but Yocom defended the meeting as a way to inform Skousen of the legalities of the situation.

Workman herself said she was not interested in politicizing the incident. "That's a very disturbing claim. That was a sickening, serious thing that was taken care of," Workman said.

Yocom said the Floros situation is purely a personnel matter and that he is required neither to release the investigation report nor to file criminal charges against the former chief deputy clerk.

"There was no allegation of criminal wrongdoing," he said.

However, Salt Lake criminal attorney Craig Snyder, who represented Gary Gilmore and other high-profile defendants, said the allegations in the woman's notice of claim constitute sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor, and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.

"If that kind of conduct occurred in our office and some female employee complained about it, it's something that should be reported to the police," Snyder said.

Yocom also said he can't pursue criminal action because "We can't pursue a criminal complaint without a victim. ... There was no interest on (the woman's) part of pursuing a criminal complaint."

"Oh really?" Chamness responded. "That would be news to me."

He said neither he nor the woman have ever had such a discussion with Yocom.

Chamness also maintains Floros' superiors had known of his conduct for some time but did nothing. "It's ludicrous that this was allowed to go on," Chamness said.

Yocom has kept the county's investigative report under tight control, refusing to give a copy even to Workman for several months. She finally got one on July 15.

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E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com