LAKE KATRINE — Among the unanswered questions surrounding the
arrest of suspended Town of Ulster police Chief Matthew Taggard is this: How
was he appointed to the job if he had been the subject of a state police
investigation years before?
The answer is simple, Ulster Supervisor Jim Quigley said
Friday: Taggard was never charged with nor arrested in relation to a crime
after that investigation.
But Taggard was arrested and charged with official misconduct
Thursday in a separate incident dating back to March, in which he's alleged to
have failed to report a criminal, non-consensual sexual act that he knew about.
In announcing Taggard's arrest, Ulster County District
Attorney Holley Carnright said that even though the previous state police
investigation into alleged misconduct involving underage individuals had
resulted in no charges against Taggard, the district attorney's office believed
that investigation was "germane" to Thursday's charge.
Carnright declined to explain why he included the previous
investigation in his comments about Taggard's arrest.
Quigley said that he and the Town Board were aware of the
investigation when they were choosing a new police chief in 2010. Quigley said
he investigated the matter personally.
"I spoke to the state police investigator and was told
there no evidence of any wrongdoing," Quigley said Friday.
Taggard was selected over two other candidates who also had
the required New York State Civil Service qualifications and was hired by the
board "after a full vetting of all three candidates," Quigley said.
Quigley said he was mystified by Carnright's refusal to
explain the relevance of the earlier investigation:
"District attorneys have their own way of prosecuting
cases," he said. "Some prosecute in the newspapers; some prosecute in
court."