Inver Grove Heights' former city administrator will appear in court Thursday to face charges of misdemeanor assault stemming from an alleged workplace incident in July 2018.
Joe Lynch, who worked for the city from 2006 until the City Council approved his separation agreement last winter, is charged with fifth-degree misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct.
His attorney, Paul Engh, said Lynch has pleaded not guilty.
The charges come after several years of turmoil at Inver Grove Heights City Hall, including a 2018 investigation of Lynch that found he made suggestive and insulting comments to a female employee, resulting in a three-day suspension.
Later, a 2019 survey of city employees found the culture among city staff to be unhealthy, with "toxic" communication patterns. The workplace lacked common goals and expectations and a consultant was paid to make improvements.
According to the charges, which were investigated by the Savage police, a female city employee told an officer she was assaulted at work by Lynch. She had been exchanging e-mails with him about her workload when he entered her office and yelled at her about getting her work done. He slammed the door and "walked quickly toward her while yelling and screaming, which scared her and caused her to back away and run toward a door in the office," the complaint said.
The employee told police that she felt he was going to hit her. The charges say she opened the door and had her back against the wall while Lynch "stood directly in front of her with his chest out and his fist clenched." She said she felt pinned against the wall and asked Lynch what he was doing.
He left the office, the charges say, and the employee then went into a co-worker's office.
That co-worker said the female employee's face was red and she was "shaking uncontrollably," the complaint said. The employee sunk down in a corner and hid, then said Lynch had "come at her" when the co-worker asked what happened.
The co-worker told police that she had overheard "raised voices" and the female employee asking Lynch why he was swearing at her, the complaint said. The co-worker described his voice as "very intense" and said she felt "alarmed."
The co-worker also said Lynch approached her later that week and admitted to yelling and swearing at the employee, the complaint said.
According to the charges, two other workers saw the upset employee afterward and heard her retell what had happened.
Engh said the charges run counter to Lynch's successful, decadeslong career in public service.
"We're denying the charges. This borders on the ridiculous," Engh said.
Lynch left his job last winter after negotiating a separation agreement with the city. Inver Grove Heights' new city administrator, Kristine Wilson, started Sept. 1.
Erin Adler • 612-673-1781
