CHEVERLY, Md. - The town of Cheverly, Md. has been hiding investigations into allegations of embezzlement, sexual misconduct and employee harassment within town government for weeks, according to a renegade town council member who broke ranks with his colleagues to reveal the allegations at a public meeting Thursday evening.
“Individuals who were implicated in the withholding of the findings of the sexual misconduct investigation were allowed to set the terms and steer our internal inquiry into numerous allegations rather than recusing themselves," said council member Julian Ivey as he read from a carefully prepared statement.
"If even one of these allegations is found to be true, we will be looking at the largest scandal in the history of our town," Ivey said. "If all of the allegations are true there will be numerous criminal investigations into every branch of our town government."
Ivey spoke after two weeks of swirling rumors surrounding the hasty retirement of police chief Harry "Buddy" Robshaw III on October 23. Town administrator David Warrington took leave a short time later without any public explanation.
Two sources said both moves were related to investigations.
Ivey said Mayor Michael Callahan was made aware of allegations but the information was not shared with the council.
Callahan would not comment. Before Ivey spoke, Callahan read from a prepared statement to explain that he and other council members have been advised by legal counsel not to discuss personnel matters publicly.
"Our silence is in no way borne from disrespect for the community, but rather it is driven by respect for the principles of good governance and financial responsibility...” Callahan said.
Ivey was the only council member to reveal some of what he and other council members have learned in the pasts two weeks in closed meetings.
After a public session, the council retreated to a private room for yet another closed discussion.
In his prepared statement, Ivey said that council members "became aware" of allegations of misuse of town funds, allegations of sexual misconduct and allegations of employee harassment inside town government. Ivey did not name what town agencies or offices might be involved.
Robshaw announced his retirement effective the following day.
Ivey said there had been a recent allegation of sexual misconduct with a recommendation of "severe punishment that was withheld from the council, but not from the Mayor."
Ivey did not say who was implicated by the allegations.
On November 7, all council members were told about allegations of embezzlement in town government, according to Ivey. He would not say who was accused.
Ivey said he has informed the Office of the Maryland Attorney General about the allegations and that he has been instructed to forward all documentation to state investigators for further review.
A spokesman for the Attorney General was not immediately available for comment Thursday evening.
Robshaw has not responded to WUSA9's attempts to contact him in the wake of his retirement.
In 2017, WUSA9 reported Robshaw had been accused in lawsuits by former officers of sexually harassing a subordinate officer’s wife and carrying on “a campaign of harassment and humiliation” to silence witnesses to department wrongdoing on his watch.
Courts found the officers had been fired for good cause. Litigation in the matter is ongoing. One case has been settled but the terms have not been disclosed.
Ivey recently won election to the Maryland House of Delegates and will be leaving the Cheverly Town Council in January.
Meanwhile, Cheverly's police department announced the arrest of a rookie police officer who has been charged in another jurisdiction with rape. The arrest and charges are a separate matter not related to the allegations of sexual misconduct in town government.
