North Dakota deputy sheriff fired, his boss faces removal

WATFORD CITY, N.D.—A McKenzie County Sheriff's deputy who was scheduled for a disciplinary hearing this week was terminated four days before the meeting date after county officials uncovered new information they say is unrelated to his suspension in October.

Lt. Michael Schmitz was fired on Friday by McKenzie County's interim sheriff, Matthew Johansen, Amanda Willis, the county's human resources manager, said.

She declined to specify what Schmitz was fired for, but said the issue is related to something that happened during his three years of working for the sheriff's office, and that the Bureau of Criminal Investigation is looking into it.

Johansen was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.

Schmitz had been ordered to appear before the County Commission on Tuesday for a hearing to address allegations of bullying and retaliatory behavior spelled out in a report done by a third-party firm that performed a workplace investigation over the summer.

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