Gottlieb Faces Sexual Harassment Charge

In today’s Durham Herald Sun under Brianne Dopart’s byline:

A key figure in the bogus Duke lacrosse rape case has been targeted in a sexual harassment investigation stemming from an incident involving another officer, The Herald-Sun has learned.

Sources tell The Herald-Sun that Sgt. Mark Gottlieb has returned to work since being placed on administrative leave after he allegedly made sexually suggestive comments to a female officer.

The alleged sexual harassment occurred in November when Gottlieb, who was once the senior investigator presiding over the now-defunct Duke lacrosse case, allegedly made statements of a sexual nature to a female officer in the presence of several other officers.

He was sent home the same day and placed on administrative leave, sources said.

Reached by telephone Monday, Gottlieb refused to comment and hung up. . . .

Contacted by The Herald-Sun on Wednesday, Chief Jose Lopez said he would not discuss the allegations.

"At this point in time we're conducting an investigation. We're conducting many investigations into various allegations, and I'm not going to say which is about what," Lopez said.

Attempts to reach City Manager Patrick Baker were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Baker told The Herald-Sun that he could not confirm anything regarding Gottlieb's status as an officer, but that Gottlieb's employment status would change in the near future.

Sources say Gottlieb is being pushed to take a medical leave from the department. (emphasis mine)

The former investigator's integrity has come into question before.

He is named as one of a long list of defendants in the 155-page lawsuit filed against the city this fall by attorneys for the exonerated Duke lacrosse players. Gottlieb is accused of conspiring to hide DNA evidence and creating a photo lineup that went against department policy because it was loaded only with lacrosse players, and did not include people who would be an incorrect selection as a suspect.

He also is named in a lawsuit filed this week by three unindicted Duke lacrosse players whose suit contends he "undertook to breathe life into the dead rape case by constructing a myth" as the investigation was unraveling. . . .

There’s more to the H-S story which you can read here.

Questions:

If in fact Gottlieb is being pressured to take medical leave, why is that?

Do his DPD supervisors believe he’s an accident waiting to happen? Again!

Is it because he’s such a huge embarrassment to DPD it can’t any longer explain away his conduct without bring more public scorn down on itself? So get him on medical leave. That way DPD won’t have to explain why he’s still doing any kind of work at DPD.

But isn’t it time Chief Lopez, who promised to set things right at DPD, ordered an Internal Affairs investigation to determine whether Gottlieb is the kind of person DPD wants to give a gun, badge and the power to pursue and arrest?

Is anyone on the city council going to ask city manager Patrick Baker whether he’s satisfied Gottlieb is a DPD officer?