Court records indicate a fired Denison police officer will be paid nearly 350-thousand dollars to settle his lawsuit against the city for wrongful termination. Brad Wendt, who runs a gun shop in Denison, also worked as a policeman, but was fired in 2017, after it was learned numerous hunting violation charges had been filed against him in Dec. 2015, by DNR Officers in Cass County. Wendt was on unpaid, administrative leave when he was terminated.

According to court documents received by KJAN, Wendt filed a lawsuit in November, 2016, against the city and former Denison Police Chief John Emswiler. The lawsuit alleged Wendt was a victim of retaliation for disclosing a file of inappropriate images on Emswiler’s computer to Brad Bonner, who was acting as mayor pro tem, and for reporting a search conducted by Emswiler to the Iowa Ombudsman’s Office.

The City of Denison’s insurance company will pay the largest share of the settlement, about 232-thousand dollars. The City of Denison is paying Wendt 65-thousand dollars for “emotional distress” and another 50-thousand dollars for “lost wages.” Wendt’s attorney will be paid about a quarter of a million, too.