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Police report filed over Oxnard councilman's phone call
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Oxnard Councilman Tim Flynn allegedly threatened the assistant city manager in a voice mail left earlier this month, according to police report.
Flynn, however, did not break any laws, Oxnard Police Chief John Crombach said today.
"His conduct did not rise to the level of criminal misconduct," Crombach said of a follow-up investigation by the department.
Flynn, 48 a government studies teacher at Camarillo High School, left the voice mail message with Assistant City Manager Karen Burnham on Oct.12 around noon, the report said.
Flynn appeared to be upset over an agenda item regarding projects in the Channel Islands Harbor that the City Council was set to discuss Oct.16.
According to a transcript of the voice mail, Flynn said twice that he was "livid." "I can't tell you what ... I'm gonna do about it," Flynn said on the voice mail. "But I want this Channel Islands thing taken off the agenda. It's an insult and, um, I'm telling you that I am gonna, All hell's gonna break loose if that thing isn't taken off the agenda and we don't get this thing squared right away."
Burnham called Flynn back, left a message on his voice mail, stating "she was concerned about the content and tone of his message, and that she took his message as a threat." City Manager Ed Sotelo also left a voice mail with Flynn saying he considered the message a threat to himself and Burnham.
After Burnham filed an incident report later that day, Assistant Chief Jason Benites interviewed Flynn, who appeared surprised the police were investigating the matter, the report said.
Flynn said he "had no intention of harming anyone," the report said.
In today's interview, Crombach characterized Flynn as "apologetic" and said "it was not his intent to threaten Karen or be threatening." An attempt to contact Flynn today was unsuccessful.
Posted by bugmenot on October 31, 2007 at 11:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
politics as usual.
Posted by anonrp on October 31, 2007 at 11:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Father like son...
Reminds me of his dad and the ex Rio School district superintendent...
Posted by bkmsgtdano on October 31, 2007 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I noticed that this was all done on voice-mail..Just a suggestion...but why don't these people sit down and talk face to face.
He "talked" harshly to a GIRL...must've failed the PC course.
I agree bugmenot, politics. (If you vote for these people all you do is encourage them)
Posted by wynonarose on October 31, 2007 at 11:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds to me like there is some over-reaction here to both the leaving of the voicemail and the reaction to the voicemail. All parties should have taken a deep breath long before any police reports were filed.
Posted by uknow1 on October 31, 2007 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
wasn't he recently pictured barefoot or in socks while sitting with his dad? What a ____________!
Who voted him in anyway?
Posted by Equitable_Enforcer on October 31, 2007 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
And to think --- that this level of intelligent communications exists at the highest levels of our government, on both sides of the aisle.
Posted by chair on October 31, 2007 at 1:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You got that right, TimeArrow. There are the Oxnard Oligarchs on one side and the rest of us, including the Flynns, on the other. Since money does talk, the Flynns and the majority of us lose as usual. As for Oxnard's city management, they now have police stations on both sides of their headquarters and populate their public meetings with at least two overtime cops. They and their campaign-financing oligarchs are running scared of us oppressed masses!
Posted by B8R_N4MD on October 31, 2007 at 1:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
TimeArrow, how do you find the City Manager's office to be at fault here? I find the voicemail message to be highly disrespectful and it sounds like the appropriate action was taken to a message that was felt to be threatening. You can read the words, but you cannot hear the tone of Mr Flynn's voice. Highly inappropriate of a councilmember.
Posted by B8R_N4MD on October 31, 2007 at 1:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Didn't his father do the same thing to the former Mayor's wife a few years back?
Posted by amendez018 on October 31, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sotelo should not be wasting OPD's time with this nonsense.
Posted by Ventura22 on October 31, 2007 at 1:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No suprise here. Just like his old man; bullying and intimidating others. We need to clean the trash out of office next election!
Posted by mdquick01 on October 31, 2007 at 2:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Tim Flynn is absolutely out of control. He thinks that he can leave a message like that and that there will be no repercussion. Tim Flynn is just like his father. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it? Tim you need to think about what is right for our city and step down. You don't have what it takes to be a politician. You are a loose cannon.
Posted by Equitable_Enforcer on October 31, 2007 at 2:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
B8R_N4MD, I wasn't trying to establish fault. Sorry if that is what I conveyed. What I was trying to insinuate is that this was blown up way out of proportion. What Flynn did was juvenile and should be known to the voting public to show an apparent instability --- but as to reporting him to the police --- that was, to me, overreaction.
Posted by RedSage on October 31, 2007 at 2:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Timmy has to be stopped before he gets physical like his Dad did. Dad was warned about his bullying and intimidating of employees, and the action take by the City Manager's office is Timmy's warning. We are all watching you!
Posted by glfixer on October 31, 2007 at 3:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like Anger Management should be on the agenda!
Posted by 2smokingbarrels on October 31, 2007 at 3:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If we are lucky, he will be just like his father and get things done in this city unlike the rest of his collegues on the board.
Posted by mctayb on October 31, 2007 at 3:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That message is hardly threatening. If you are going to serve the public, I suggest you grow a thicker skin.
Posted by willgt222 on October 31, 2007 at 3:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Interesting that he was suing the city manager because he said it was the peoples right to get information, yet he threatens the asst city manager to try to keep information he doesn't like from being presented to the public. A little hypocritical to say the least?
Posted by B8R_N4MD on October 31, 2007 at 4:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
TimeArrow, I understand what you are saying. I didnt hear the message so I dont agree it may have been taken out of porportion. A threat can be conceived as being more serious by the tone of the voice. Maybe it was at such an elevated level that the City Managers office felt it was over the top compared to any demeanor they have ever heard from him before. In this day and age, better safe than sorry. All it would take is changing one or two words and it could have been criminal.
Posted by Common_Sense on October 31, 2007 at 5:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What a loon. Maybe his no growth, economic disaster he has decided to call the "traffic initiative" aint doing so well???. Didn't his dad and the ex-mayor of Oxnard get into something a few years ago where the police had to step in. Seems to follow a common thred. Something in the blood-line maybe?
Posted by chaplin on October 31, 2007 at 5:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
WOW! I can see how the city managers felt threatened. I have heard on many occasions that Tim's dad has done the same to other county employees and members of the public. I feel sorry for the city employees; he was probably threatening them with their jobs if they didn't do what he said. As B8R_4MD stated: Tim was just suing the city from trying to hide information, when he himself all along is really doing it! He cost the city thousands in attorney fees. I hope Tim is not going to try to blame somebody else for these threatening words he used against Karen Burnham. He should be held accountable! No citizen or employee should ever be threatened by people with government power! He should be held accountable just as anyone of us citizens would!
Posted by B8R_N4MD on October 31, 2007 at 7:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Chapin, to clarify it was willgt222 who made that interesting statement, not I.
Posted by ironwoman on October 31, 2007 at 8:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why should he be held accountable like any other citizen? A regular citizen wouldn't be held accountable for "going off". He didn't threaten anyone. He didn't say he was going to kick anyone's butt. He may have sounded what would appeared to be threatening but he didn't commit a crime.
So what is the point? Is he the only one that has a bad temper? No.
Posted by Tom_Johnston on October 31, 2007 at 9:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Whoa! Politics in Oxnard is interesting....
For sure, Flynn is a bit of a hot head, and for sure he should be careful about leaving voicemail and I'd say e-mail tracks......you need to think carefully before you hit the SEND key!
I'm just glad I don't live in Oxnard....name aside, its a city with problems....
Posted by chaplin on October 31, 2007 at 9:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
honestopinion- It sounds like you are good friends with Tim? You must have had a personal conversation with him to know his intentions. Bottom line, it was a recorded conversation that required the police to follow up and interview him to determine his motive. If it was cut and dry non-threatening call, the police would have never took the time to investigate Tim Flynn's voice message and write a report! Bad tempers lead to bad things. Remember, Karen is the victim, not Tim Flynn. Karen is not a politician, Tim is!
Posted by SHORTIE on November 1, 2007 at 4:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I CAN BELIEVE THIS ONE! HE WAS MY TEACHER AT CAMARILLO HIGH AND ALWAYS SPOKE BEFORE HE THOUGHT... IM NOT SURPRISED ABOUT HIM GETTING HIMSELF INTO THIS SITUATION BUT I AM SURPRISED THAT HE MADE AS FAR AS BEING A COUNCILMAN WITH HIS TYPE OF ATTITUDE!
Posted by imbetnonit on November 2, 2007 at 12:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Grow up or throw up, Tim Flynn!
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