A political tornado blew into the tiny farming town of Ault this week while the mayor was away, sobering up in the Weld County jail after a weekend binge.
Ault police arrested Mayor James Fladung, 49, on Saturday for allegedly shoving his wife and son while he was staggering drunk. The arrest report states that Fladung blew a 0.4 blood-alcohol content on a portable Breathalyzer before the machine broke. A reading of 0.08 is legally considered too drunk to drive.
Fladung was charged with third-degree assault, child abuse and domestic violence. His bond was set at $3,000, which family members have refused to pay in order to help him dry out, said his wife, Jill.
She said the incident has turned into a political battle because the police department and the town’s board of trustees don’t want Fladung as mayor anymore. The town of 1,400 residents is approximately 12 miles north of Greeley on U.S. 85.
Mayor pro-tem Troy Osborne said the six-member board of trustees hasn’t spoken to Fladung since his arrest and wouldn’t take any action until they talked with him. His court appearance is set for Monday.
“I think the consensus of the board is they want him to resign,” Osborne said.
“The report says he slammed me into a wall several times,” Jill Fladung said. “That’s absolutely false. He didn’t lay a hand on me. By the time the police arrived, we were all outside. They never saw what happened inside.
“He’s a very kind man who has a disease (alcoholism). He’s never hurt me. We’ve been married 20 years, with never a separation.”
She said the couple’s 16-year-old son received a mark on his wrist when he was trying to take the house keys away from his dad, and that she called the police because she was concerned about her husband hurting himself.
Ault police officer Pete Jones wrote in his report that police have been called to the Fladung residence “numerous times” for disturbances, drunkenness “and other sorts of domestic problems.”
Jill Fladung said police have been to her home only once, last December, when her son called them because he was worried about his father being too drunk, not because of any argument or fighting.
Police Chief Tracey McCoy said he stood by his officer’s report, saying, “Sounds to me like a domestic violence victim recanting her story. My officers have no reason to lie.”
Staff writer Mike McPhee can be reached at 303-820-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com.
