Sexual harassment investigation into St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her now complete

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The sexual harassment investigation into St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is complete, according to a letter sent to St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry obtained by FOX 9. 

St. Paul mayor sexual harassment investigation

The backstory:

The St. Paul police chief filed a formal complaint against Mayor Her earlier this year, accusing her of making inappropriate sexual comments to him and other city employees. 

The complaint included a screenshot of a text message he says Her had sent to a city employee, which reportedly contained a sexual innuendo.  

The city hired an outside law firm to investigate the mayor’s conduct. 

What they're saying:

The allegations were made public in late July. At the time, Mayor Her shared the following statement regarding the allegations. 

"As Mayor, I take my responsibility to treat every employee with professionalism and respect very seriously. I recognize that some of my attempts at humor fell short of the standard I expect of myself. We have fully cooperated with the independent investigation since it began in April and will continue to do so. I respect the investigative process and believe it is important to allow it to reach its conclusion. I remain confident that the full facts will come to light, and I will continue to focus on serving the people of St. Paul with integrity and dedication."

Her, the first female and Hmong mayor of St. Paul, was sworn in back in January, promising to make the city work better,

Mayor Her investigation complete, city says 

What we know:

In a letter sent to Henry on Sept. 17, the City of St. Paul director of human resources informed the police chief that the investigation into Mayor Her was complete.  

"The City will comply with relevant laws regarding the investigation and the results of the investigation," the letter reads. "The City of St. Paul does not tolerate offensive, violent or discriminatory behavior, and it does not tolerate any retaliation towards any who complains about such behavior." 

Timeline:

According to the letter, Henry first reported a possible violation of the city’s workplace policy on March 30. On June 16, the police chief submitted another report to the city of a possible violation of the city’s workplace police prohibiting retaliation.

What we don't know:

The city has not said when it will release the results of the investigation or whether any action will be taken against Mayor Her. 

The Source: FOX 9 obtained a Sept. 17 letter from the City of St. Paul human resources department sent to Police Chief Axel Henry.