Port Clinton Civil Service Commission Chair Carl Koebel's pal Kent Johnson.

Port Clinton, OH – Yesterday, Port Clinton, Ohio Civil Service Commission Chairman Carl Koebel, who is currently charged with deciding whether former Fire Chief Kent Johnson may to return to work after the City fired him following findings of sexual harassment and theft from the city, displayed his bias in the matter on social media.

A Facebook account bearing the commissioner’s name commented on The Chandra Law Firm LLC’s post announcing Johnson’s indictment. The account, which was quickly linked back to Koebel, commented, “Its [sic] all he said she said.”

Port Clinton Civil Service Commission Chairman Carl Koebel's biased (and false) Facebook comment.

This public (and, as explained below, categorically false) statement, at a time when Johnson’s civil-service-commission appeal is in the hands of Koebel and his fellow commissioners for decision, is the latest display of the lack of impartiality in this process.

Koebel and his fellow members of the Port Clinton Civil Service Commission are responsible for deciding whether Johnson should be allowed to return to work as the city’s fire chief despite the investigative findings. Johnson was placed on administrative leave on June 6, 2023 and ultimately fired on January 18, 2024 after he was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing and assaulting Firefighter/EMT Rebekah Huskey. Huskey detailed her allegations against Johnson in her federal civil lawsuit complaint.

After his firing, Johnson tried to sue the City, which a court recently dismissed, and filed a civil-service appeal.

Johnson’s civil-service hearings were on March 19, April 11, and July 10, 2024.

On April 11, Roseann Huskey, Rebekah’s sister who observed the hearing, signed a sworn affidavit detailing Koebel’s questionable behavior. Koebel refused to recuse himself from the Civil Service Commission despite his known, close personal relationships with Johnson and his family. During breaks in the hearing, he allegedly went over to have “chummy conversations” with Johnson and his family. Roseann Huskey also claims that Koebel was shaking his head, scowling, falling asleep, and keeping his arms folded across his chest during Huskey’s testimony during the hearing.

Roseann Huskey also alleged that, during a break at around 3 pm, Koebel got up to sit with Johnson’s family, friends, and supporters. When he got up to return to his seat, he apologized for brushing up against someone and said, apparently mocking Rebekah Huskey, “Oh, sorry; didn’t mean to brush up against you. Don’t want to be accused of sexual harassment!” Koebel laughed, according to Roseann Huskey’s affidavit.

None of these actions signal fair and impartial attitudes during this hearing. On April 11, 2024, lead counsel Subodh Chandra sent Port Clinton’s law director the affidavit and a request that Koebel be removed under Ohio Rev. Code 124.40 (A), which details how to handle malfeasance by civil-service commission members, including potential removal from office.

That correspondence went unanswered, and Koebel remains still on the commission.

Considering Koebel’s actions during the hearing and in the recent Facebook comment, Chandra, on July 28, 2024, again called on Port Clinton’s mayor to remove Koebel from the commission to protect the integrity of the City’s proceedings:

Dear Director Shenker:

This is a taxpayer-demand letter on behalf of Rebekah Huskey, her family, and supporters.

In my April 11 correspondence, which went completely unanswered and unheeded, I warned the City of Port Clinton about the corrupt nature of the civil-service proceedings thanks to the misconduct of Civil Service Commission Chair Carl Koebel.

Embedded below is a Facebook post from him earlier this evening in which he publicly speaks out defending his friend Kent Johnson from the criminal indictment resulting from Ms. Huskey's allegations of sex crimes. Carl Koebel made this public statement at a time when the Johnson appeal has been submitted to him and his fellow commissioners for decision—and he knows his impartiality has already been questioned.

How is anyone supposed to believe in the integrity of the Civil Service Commission's decision-making process under these circumstances?

“The chief executive authority of a city with a municipal civil service commission may remove at any time any commissioner for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office, having first given to the commissioner a copy of the charges and an opportunity to be publicly heard in person or by counsel in defense.” R.C. 124.40(A).

On behalf of Ms. Huskey and her family and supporters, we make this taxpayer demand that the law director have the mayor remove Carl Koebel from office, under R.C. 124.40(A) and any other applicable authority, because of Koebel's malfeasance.

Kent Johnson has previously stated that Carl's son, David, warned him about Ms. Huskey. We understand that Koebel has been a close friend of Johnson for decades. Under these circumstances and those described in the attached Roseann Huskey affidavit provided to you on April 11, the City must act to protect the integrity of the City of Port Clinton's proceedings.

Please affirm by August 7 that you are taking removal action.

Best regards,

Mr. Subodh Chandra (he/him)

Chandra Law responded to Koebel's Facebook comment as follows:

This is a false statement by the Civil Service Commission Chairman charged with rendering fair and impartial judgment in Kent Johnson's civil-service appeal.

As screenshots embedded in the amended lawsuit show, Johnson sent Ms. Huskey sexually harassing text messages and voicemails, including a text-message request that she put N95 masks down her pants (where her private parts are) before giving them to him to put on his face.

And the suit alleges that Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation found in Johnson's Google drive intimate photos of Ms. Huskey that he improperly accessed and (unbeknownst to her) took pictures of by demanding her phone on the pretext of fixing a first-responders' app.

THAT IS NOT "HE SAID SHE SAID." That's hard, corroborating evidence.

To claim otherwise is willful deceit.

That Carl Koebel (who we understand has been a close Johnson friend for decades and whose son is connected to the entire situation and is touted by Johnson as a witness) feels free to engage in such deceit at all shows a lack not only of personal integrity, in our view, but the lack of integrity of the City of Port Clinton's government operations.

The allegations in federal court filed against former Fire Chief Kent Johnson can be found here.

The ten-count pending criminal indictment of Kent Johnson can be found here. The indictment includes felony charges of gross sexual imposition and other sex crimes.

Port Clinton's Civil Service Commission is expected to render a decision about Johnson's appeal of his firing.

Chandra Law is experienced obtaining justice for victims of sex/gender discrimination including sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and employment retaliation. We also secure constitutional rights like those at issue here.

And the firm helped pioneer work in holding individuals and companies accountable for civil liability for criminal acts, securing the two leading Supreme Court of Ohio decisions favorable to crime victims on the topic.

If you think that your civil rights have been violated, you may contact us to discuss your options.

At Chandra Law, your case is our cause.®