Attorney put on leaveIdaho Falls city prosecutor under investigation for property seizures
Idaho Falls Mayor Linda Milam placed the city prosecutor on paid leave Monday, days after the state attorney general's office revealed it was investigating him. The investigation of Prosecutor Kimball Mason involves property seizures from cases Mason handled, City Attorney Dale Storer said last week. City officials have said they cannot comment further because the investigation is ongoing. Storer said he received information regarding Mason's behavior a few months ago and forwarded it to Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Dane Watkins Jr. and the attorney general's office in late November. On Thursday, Milam said Mason would continue to serve as prosecutor during the probe. But the matter quickly received too much attention for Mason to remain on the job, she said. "We just felt that the life this issue was taking would make it difficult for Kimball to continue as prosecutor," Milam said. The decision to place him on leave was finalized Friday, she said, when Watkins said his office could handle Mason's caseload. Watkins said the eight attorneys in his office will share Mason's cases and will decide on a week-to-week basis whether to bring on additional help. "It will be demanding, but everyone will be prepared for the task," he said. Bonneville County commissioners are trying to figure out how much the county will be paid, Watkins said. The City Council budgeted $112,679 for Mason's office for the current fiscal year. The attorney general's office has said there is no timeline for the investigation to be completed. Efforts to reach Mason, who took over as prosecutor in January 1993, for comment were unsuccessful.
|
