USFWS Employee Assaulted in Glacier Sues Department of Interior
Lawsuit comes five months after Bigfork man was sentenced to six months in prison for sexually assaulting woman in Glacier Park
By Justin Franz
A Helena woman who was sexually assaulted by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee while working in Glacier National Park is accusing the Department of Interior of creating a hostile work environment.
The USFWS employee filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Oct. 18 against the Department of Interior, five months after Lawrence L. Lockard, 67, of Bigfork was sentenced to six months in prison for sexually assaulting the woman while she was sleeping in a remote cabin in Glacier Park. Lockard and Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell are also listed as defendants.
According to court documents, Lockard and two co-workers were in Glacier Park for a scuba diving trip at Quartz Lake in September 2015. Lockard and the woman slept in a cabin while another co-worker slept in a tent to avoid disturbing the others with his sleep apnea. The woman said she woke up to find Lockard in bed with her, touching her inappropriately and trying to remove her clothing.
Lockard pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact in May and was ordered to pay $22,000 in restitution to the victim.
In the new lawsuit, the woman states that USFWS failed to discipline Lockard and did not take steps to protect her from additional harassment.
“The USFWS’s failures allowed USFWS personnel to create a hostile work environment, by perpetuating false statements, suspicion, and innuendo that Lockard’s actions were consensual,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit states that the woman now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has been harassed by co-workers about the incident.
The claims against the Department of Interior comes as another branch of that agency, the National Park Service, is starting to investigate widespread sexual misconduct within its ranks, particularly at Grand Canyon and Yosemite national parks. Last month, a congressional oversight committee revealed that at least 18 Yosemite Park staff members had complained of a “toxic” work environment, and park service officials warn that more claims could emerge.