Internal report says Alaska Mental Health Trust nominee 'acted inappropriately' at Juneau bar

JUNEAU — A state appointee from Gov. Mike Dunleavy is facing scrutiny after an employee of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority complained about his behavior in a Juneau bar in January.

Human resources staff at the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority investigated a report from a woman and interviewed two witnesses who supported her account. The woman said Joe Riggs touched her on the cheek and shoulder during a conversation that made her uncomfortable. The report found evidence that Riggs “acted inappropriately.” There are no allegations of criminal conduct.

Riggs has been nominated to be a trustee on the trust’s board and, if appointed, would not directly supervise the woman. He would be among a group of trustees who oversee the trust’s CEO, who in turn supervises employees.

“I find there is reasonable evidence to conclude the nominee behaved inappropriately during this interaction,” a human resources investigator wrote in a memo dated March 19 to the woman who made the complaint. “While this incident did not occur in the workplace, it did involve a potential trustee of the AMHTA, and it understandably upset you.”

Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/2019/03/27/internal-report-says-alaska-mental-health-trust-nominee-acted-inappropriately-at-juneau-bar/