BOISE, Idaho — Hundreds of pages of documents were made public in the case filed by former Boise OPA Director Jesus Jara.
Among those documents, new details outline allegations against former Police Chief Ryan Lee, who resigned in October of 2022 at the request of Mayor Lauren McLean.
In the lawsuit, Jara claims he was illegally fired and retaliated against after recommending Chief Lee be placed on leave.
In documents obtained by Idaho News 6, complaints included accusations that Lee showed favoritism by refusing to discipline an officer due to a personal relationship, mishandling the mental breakdown of one officer, and claims we've previously reported on where Lee was accused of seriously injuring an officer during a chokehold demonstration -- sparking several other lawsuits.
Jara argues his firing violated whistleblower protections, as he was investigating complaints about Lee.
In court documents, the city contends Jara overstepped his authority and mishandled the situation. Additionally, an independent review of Jara's recommendation disagreed with his assessment that Chief Lee should be placed on leave.
We reached out to Boise officials, but the city declined to comment on ongoing litigation. Jara's case is currently set for a jury trial in June. We will continue to bring you updates on this story as we receive them.
