Action 3 News - Omaha, Nebraska News, Weather, and Sports | Secret Records Next for Suttle?
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The firing is now tied to a move to open up some secret court records.
After reporting that Matthew Samp, a former top aide to Suttle, allegedly had sex with a 14-year-old boy several years ago, the Omaha World Herald is now pushing for more information.
Samp was never charged with a crime and never arrested.
But in court records filed by the newspaper"questions remain." The paper wants the court to "unseal certain search warrants (apparently filed in 2001) relating to Samp."
According to the World Herald's legal argument the Samp search warrants should be open if for no other reason than the public's "lingering issues" as to what Suttle could have known before he appointed Samp to his administration.
On June 1st when he fired Samp, Suttle would not say if he believed the allegations against Samp, but Suttle made it clear he hoped to close the book on all this, "I have asked Matt Samp to separate himself from my administration. He will not be my co-chief of staff."
Samp issued a statment that same day saying, "Any allegations against me are false, untrue, and uncorroborated by any facts...meant to hurt me, my family, and now to harm Mayor-elect Suttle."
Douglas County District Court Judge Pete Battallion tells Action 3 News he'll decide in the next few days if the search warrants and other records will be opened.
The judge also says if other names are in the files he may have to remove those names, before making the information public.
Reported by Joe Jordan, joe@action3news.com
