[CO] Mayor Faldung pled guilty to family assaults though he and his wife deny they happened

...Jill Fladung wrote in the police report that her husband [Ault Mayor James Fladung] shoved her into a wall several times and that afterward, her wrists, shoulders and neck ached.  However, on Wednesday she told 9News she was not seriously hurt... Weld County District Attorney spokeswoman Thea Mustari said Fladung was charged with one count each of third-degree assault and child abuse... [Later Jill] denied that her husband assaulted her and said she called police because she was worried he would hurt himself... Police Chief Tracey McCoy said he stood by his officer's report, saying, "Sounds to me like a domestic violence victim recanting her story. My officers have no reason to lie"...

MAYOR WAS PROPERLY REMOVED
Knight Ridder Tribune
Bill Jackson
Oct 27, 2006
A Weld District Court judge ruled Thursday that the town of Ault acted properly in removing Mayor James Fladung from office earlier this year. Fladung said he had not talked with his lawyer and was not aware of the decision, but said he was disappointed... The town board unanimously decided Aug. 8 to remove Fladung from office, citing his alcoholism, his arrest in an assault this spring and his absence from meetings as reasons for his dismissal. A recall petition had been initiated by a group of residents prior to his dismissal...

THE PATH TO MAYOR FLADUNG'S REMOVAL:

AULT MAYOR CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, CHILD ABUSE
Family Refuses To Pay Bond
TheDenverChannel.com
May 3, 2006 [Excerpts] The mayor of Ault, a small town in northern Colorado, remained in jail Wednesday after being arrested over the weekend on charges of third-degree assault, domestic violence and child abuse. According to an arrest report, James Fladung's blood-alcohol level was at least 0.40 percent... Officers "observed the (Breathalyzer) results climbing at a rapid rate, reaching above a 0.4 (percent) . . . the numbers were moving too fast for the officer to read and the machine shut off and would not turn back on, as if it was broken," according to an arrest affidavit... Weld County District Attorney spokeswoman Thea Mustari said Fladung was charged with one count each of third-degree assault and child abuse, both misdemeanors. The mayor's wife, Jill, said her husband did not assault her and the couple's 15-year-old son got a mark on the wrist when he tried to take house keys away from his father. His bond was set at $3,000, which family members have refused to pay to help him sober up, his wife, Jill, said... She denied that her husband assaulted her and said she called police because she was worried he would hurt himself...

MAYOR IN JAIL ON DRUNKEN CHILD ABUSE ARREST
posted by:  Dan Viens  Web Producer
9News
Created: 5/3/2006
[Excerpts] ..."The report says he slammed me into a wall several times," Jill Fladung said. "That's absolutely false. He didn't lay a hand on me." Ault police officer Pete Jones wrote in his report that authorities had been called to the Fladung residence "numerous times" for domestic problems, which Jill Fladung also denied. Police Chief Tracey McCoy said he stood by his officer's report...

MAYOR OF AULT SPENDING TIME IN LOCKUP
Rocky Mountain News
By Bianca Prieto
May 3, 2006
[Excerpts] The mayor of Ault completed his third day in jail Tuesday, after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and child abuse. James Fladung, 49, was arrested Saturday afternoon at his home in Ault after he and his wife and 15-year-old son struggled over a house key when he came home drunk... Arresting officers took Fladung to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley because of his high blood-alcohol level... He is being held on $3,000 bail. Mandatory restraining orders were obtained by the district attorney's office against Fladung because it is a domestic violence case. The charges stem from a shoving match during which Fladung allegedly pushed his wife, Jill, and left marks on his son's arms as the pair tried to lock him out of the house. "The man has never touched me (before)," Jill Fladung said Tuesday. "He is not violent." James Fladung suffers from severe alcoholism, she said, and she was forced to call police after repeatedly asking him to leave their home and go to a nearby relative's. She called police when she became fearful that someone would get hurt. "He's a human being, and we all make mistakes," she said. "He has a horrific disease, and I want him to get help with the alcohol... We all care about James so much that you have to do the tough love," she said. The couple have known each other since they were 5 years old and have been married for 20 years. "He has never, ever struck me," she said. "If he'd been such a horrible person, I wouldn't have stayed with him. I'm not one of those women." Ault police records show officers have been called to the Fladung home seven times since 2005...

AULT MAYOR’S WIFE SPEAKS ABOUT HUSBAND’S ARREST
Mayor had an 0.4 blood-alcohol level
Greeley Tribune, CO
By Mike Peters
May 3, 2006
[Excerpts] ...Jill Fladung said her husband, Mayor James Fladung, is not a bad man “but he has a drinking problem and we had to do something to make him get help.” Police were called to the Fladung house Saturday afternoon after he got into a struggle with his wife and their teenage son... Police said the struggle began when Jill Fladung installed new locks in the house, and when her husband came to the home, he somehow had a key... It may be a while before James Fladung learns about his mayoral status. Mayor Pro-Tem Troy Osborne said Tuesday the council will discuss the mayor’s arrest at Tuesday’s night’s work session, but they would have to meet in a regular public session to vote on his status. There are six town trustees, and it would take a two-thirds majority to remove the mayor from office. Fladung has been on the board about 10 years with two years as mayor.

AULT ROILED BY MAYOR'S ARREST
The mayor pro tem says he should resign.
By Mike McPhee
DenverPost.com
5/03/2006
[Excerpts] ...Ault police arrested Mayor James Fladung, 49, on Saturday for allegedly shoving his wife and son while he was staggering drunk... Fladung was charged with third-degree assault, child abuse and domestic violence... [His wife Jill] said the incident has turned into a political battle because the police department and the town's board of trustees don't want Fladung as mayor anymore... Jill Fladung said police have been to her home only once, last December, when her son called them because he was worried about his father being too drunk, not because of any argument or fighting. Police Chief Tracey McCoy said he stood by his officer's report, saying, "Sounds to me like a domestic violence victim recanting her story. My officers have no reason to lie"...

MAYOR CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
9NEWS Northern
Marissa Pasquet  Web Producer
reported by:  Roger Wolfe
5/3/2006 5:10 PM MST -
Updated: 5/4/2006 9:00 AM MST
[Excerpts] ...He was taken to the hospital before being transferred to the Weld County Jail. His family decided not to post the $3,000 bond. "We have to think of him and kind of the old tough love," said Fladung's wife Jill.  "I know that where he is right now he is safe, he has not been able to drink, his mind is getting clear so he can be clear for his hearing"... Jill Fladung wrote in the police report that her husband shoved her into a wall several times and that afterward, her wrists, shoulders and neck ached.  However, on Wednesday she told 9News she was not seriously hurt.  "I got pushed back and the police tell you to write that down, and you don't understand when you do that, that it's going to be blown so out of proportion," Jill Fladung said.  "I've been married to this man for 20 years and he has never once struck me, he has never raised a hand to me, never even grabbed me roughly." James Fladung has been on the town board of this small Weld County farm town for about 10 years, and has served as mayor for the past two years. Mayor pro tem Troy Osborne says the town board discussed Saturday's incident Tuesday night and their consensus is that Fladung should resign.  Jill Fladung agrees that her husband should step down as mayor. "He needs to get some serious help," Jill Fladung said.  "He doesn't need the pressure of being mayor and the decisions and so forth."  She hopes spending some time in jail will convince her husband to stay sober...

AULT MAYOR PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN CHILD-ABUSE CASE
Rocky Mountain News
May 9, 2006
[Excerpts] The mayor of Ault pleaded not guilty to child abuse and third-degree assault in a Weld County court Monday afternoon and was released from jail, ending nine days in lock- up... He was released on a personal-recognizance bond, which forbids him from drinking alcohol, using drugs or leaving the state. The restraining orders protecting his wife and son were modified to allow contact for counseling purposes. Third-party and phone contact also are allowed, said Thea Mustari, spokeswoman for the Weld County District Attorney's Office. Troy Osborne, Ault's mayor pro tem, said the Town Board will ask for Fladung to resign once it has the opportunity to speak with him...

AULT MAYOR PLEADS GUILTY TO ASSAULT
Knight Ridder Tribune
Mike Peters
May 31, 2006
[Excerpts] Ault Mayor James Fladung pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in court Tuesday and agreed to enroll in a treatment program for alcoholism. Fladung said he wasn't guilty of assault but wanted to get the case behind him... The family has been contacted by the "Dr. Phil" show for a possible appearance, and the national news program "Inside Edition" has also contacted them... "I didn't want to plead guilty in court to something I didn't do," Fladung said. "But getting this over with quickly and getting me into treatment is the best thing for everybody"... Judge Julie Hoskins agreed to remove the restraining order after Fladung completed a 45-day in-patient alcohol therapy course at the Island Grove Treatment Center... Both Jill Fladung and their son received minor scrapes in the incident, but both insist now that they weren't assaulted...

AULT MAYOR ON 2 YEARS' PROBATION
Rocky Mountain News
Bianca Prieto
Jun 1, 2006
[Excerpts] A drinking problem, domestic violence and being absent from town meetings may cost the Ault mayor his position on the board. A group of concerned citizens are circulating petitions around the town of Ault in hopes of removing James Fladung from his position as Mayor. Dale Hinz, Jolene Andersen and Edwin Lesh, members of the recall committee, say the mayor has embarrassed the town with his recent arrest and guilty plea in May. Fladung was arrested at his home on April 30 after his wife called town police for assistance. He was arrested for third-degree assault, domestic violence and child abuse. But when the town board asked him to step down from the position in May, he said no... At one time, Lesh said the town was asked to participate in a function with other town and city officials of Weld County, and Fladung was intoxicated when he arrived. "We just want someone who can be there," said Andersen. "There's been other times that the Mayor couldn't be found"...

AULT MAYOR FIGHTS OUSTER
Knight Ridder Tribune
Mike Peters
Aug 10, 2006
[Excerpts]  The morning after Mayor James Fladung was voted off the town board by the other members, Fladung and his wife started actions to show the board was not only wrong in voting him off, but may have done something illegal... However, Town Attorney Russ Anson said the board took legal action, given to them by the Colorado statutes. Fladung said he is now trying to get an injunction to stop the board from dismissing him... The Fladung family will tape a session of the Dr. Phil Show in Los Angeles on Aug. 31. The show will discuss the problems of children of alcoholics, and all the family members are expected to be on the show...

MAYOR'S BATTLE WITH BOTTLE GOES PUBLIC
In tiny Ault, east of Fort Collins, a local flap is getting national attention, including free counseling for the mayor from TV shrink Dr. Phil. A recall vote looms
Denver Post
Monte Whaley
Sep 20, 2006
[Excerpts] ...Turns out producers for the famous television shrink saw the reports of the mayor's arrest and reached out to help the mayor and his family - counseling that is expected to be aired nationally within the next two weeks. It's the kind of public attention Ault doesn't need, town leaders say, a conundrum that Dr. Phil is not offering advice about... Fladung insists his addiction has never tripped him up as mayor. But plenty of folks, including the town trustees, say his drinking problem has hampered his work and become a high-profile embarrassment... Fladung, who along with his wife and son taped a segment with Dr. Phil last month, says his leadership is needed now more than ever... He is suing Ault's town trustees... Fladung claims his ouster was illegal because it wasn't due to official misconduct, only his addiction to alcohol... Fladung's wife, Jill, says she understands why the trustees don't want to deal with the stigma of a mayor fighting alcoholism. 'But this is a lot like a lynch mob working here,' she said. 'It's not illegal to be an alcoholic and be on the town board'... Over the past year, Fladung says, he could sense his life spinning out of control. His pint-of-vodka-a-day habit was causing money problems... 'We never knew which Jim we would get, whether he'd be sober or drunk,' Jill Fladung said...

MAYOR WAS PROPERLY REMOVED
Knight Ridder Tribune
Bill Jackson
Oct 27, 2006. pg. 1
[Excerpts] ...A Weld District Court judge ruled Thursday that the town of Ault acted properly in removing Mayor James Fladung from office earlier this year... In his decision Thursday, Weld District Chief Judge Roger Klein said the town's decision was right, adding that Fladung was given 30 days to appeal the board's decision. According to court records, Fladung ordered a transcript of the Aug. 8 hearing, but he didn't take any action...
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