An unidentified manager at De Soto National Memorial in Florida has been found to have inappropriately touched an employee and also was involved in possible conflicts of interest/NPS

An investigation into sexual harassment charges against a management official at De Soto National Memorial in Florida not only found credence in the allegations, but also uncovered a number of other inappropriate issues for the manager, a report released Thursday said.

The investigation by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General determined that the unidentified manager also "violated NPS policies, and misused his position and created potential conflicts of interest."

An investigation was launched after a complaint was filed against the manager, alleging that he had "touched the employee inappropriately, made inappropriate comments, and invaded the employee’s personal space. The employee informed us that this contact and attention were unwanted, and that the employee had asked the official many times to stop. The official acknowledged touching the employee and confirmed that the employee had asked him to stop, which he said he did."

The report, which was written February 7, did not say when the allegations were made or when the OIG team traveled to the park to look into the matter.

Beyond the sexual harassment charges, the IOG team also discovered that the manager was involved in decisions that violated National Park Service policies concerning alcohol consumption on park grounds, "resident volunteer agreements, and use of black powder (gunpowder during De Soto's historical reenactments."

The manager had also "misused his position and created a potential conflict of interest" by not only vacationing for free at the homes of two resident volunteer couples who worked at the national memorial, but by authorizing "the construction of a new parking pad (at a cost of about $1,000) so (one of the couples) could park their recreational vehicle while staying at De Soto," the investigators determined.

"While the official stated that he had not taken these actions specifically to benefit his friends or as repayment for letting him stay with them while on vacation, we found that his actions gave the appearance that he had failed to act impartially in his official position, failed to avoid the appearance of violating ethical standards, and directed subordinate employees to improperly provide benefits to his friends," they wrote.

In the Park Service's Southeast Region office, Saudia Muwwakkil, assistant regional director for communications and legislative affairs, said "(T)he National Park Service is weighing appropriate actions in response to the OIG’s findings. We take these findings very seriously and are committed to holding employees accountable for misconduct. We are working aggressively to catch issues early and foster workplaces where sexual harassment and violations to the public’s trust are not tolerated.”