Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw, Undersheriff Steve Spodyak, and Spodyak’s wife, Katie, have filed a personal lawsuit against Park County Manager Lucas Meyer, alleging slander and defamation.
According to court filings obtained by Denver7, the lawsuit claims Meyer spread false and damaging allegations about the three throughout the Fairplay community. The filings allege Meyer told a sheriff’s deputy that Spodyak had beaten his wife, had been arrested, and that Sheriff McGraw helped cover up the incident.
The lawsuit further accuses Meyer of claiming that Spodyak was “embezzling county funding” and that McGraw had been “receiving kickbacks” from a former county manager.
McGraw, Spodyak, and Katie Spodyak strongly deny all of the allegations outlined in the lawsuit.
The legal dispute comes at a politically significant time for Park County, as voters prepare for an upcoming sheriff’s election later this year. Sheriff McGraw is set to retire, while Undersheriff Spodyak is currently running to succeed him as sheriff.
