Manhattan municipal Judge Sarah Smith Barr has resigned but is characterizing an investigation that prompted her to leave as “half-truths and misrepresentations.”
Barr told The Mercury on Monday she “felt sick” about resigning and loved the job. She’d been in the position since July 1; her resignation came in an announcement Friday. Before that, she spent 23 years as student legal services attorney at K-State.
She essentially said she was forced out. “The bottom line is I did not convict enough people, and I pissed off the police,” Barr said.
She said she was informed three weeks ago she would be placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation. Barr said deputy city manager Jason Hilgers and director of human resources Deann Tiede told her the investigation concerned alleged employee conduct violations, but they would not disclose additional details or which organization would perform the investigation.
