Chippewa County Board Denies Legal Fees Claim for Sheriff Hakes

The Chippewa County Board voted against approving a claim for legal fees relating to the investigation into Sheriff Travis Hakes.

The claim was made by Sheriff Hakes’ lawyer, Richard Hodsdon. In a letter to the county board earlier this year, Hodsdon claimed the county had a contractual obligation to pay for the legal services provided to Sheriff Hakes because he is a county employee. He filed a claim for $27,753.37 in legal fees.

The county board voted 14-6 against paying for those legal services on Tuesday. According to a WQOW report, the denial was recommended by the county’s liability insurance company because the county did not directly engage Hodsdon for his services. The attorney now says he plans to challenge the denial in court and urged the board to reconsider their decision to avoid more costly litigation.

The investigation into Sheriff Hakes began over a year ago. He was accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a now former female employee, not completing trainings or attending meetings, conducting sales business during work hours, and having an overall lack of judgment. Sheriff Hakes denied the allegations repeatedly, claiming the investigation was biased and agenda-driven.

Earlier this year, the Chippewa County Board overwhelmingly passed two motions stating that they had no confidence in Sheriff Hakes and that the board would no longer directly receive information from him. In response, Sheriff Hakes again criticized the cost of the investigation and said that he looked forward to leading the Sheriff’s Office without the investigation sabotaging him.