Peoria City Council and the mayor have asked Vice Mayor Denette Dunn to resign from the board because of her involvement with a family friend who is a sex offender, convicted of crimes 40 years ago.
In a letter signed by the full council and sent to Dunn Aug. 28, the council said the request was not made lightly, but the city believes it is crucial for Peoria’s leadership to be held to the “highest standards of ethics and conduct.”
“In the best interests of our community and to uphold the standards of conduct we expect from our public servants, we must respectfully request your resignation from the city council immediately. This decision will help ensure the continued integrity of our local government and protect the reputation of our city.”
But Dunn said she has done nothing wrong, broken no laws and is not resigning.
“I work for the citizens and when all the facts come out, I believe they will see the political motivation behind this,” Dunn stated in a text message.
The request to resign stems from Dunn’s involvement with Derek Karl Lawson, 63, who in July had failed to register as a sex offender and not provided in-person notice of moving, which is required under state law for sex offenders.
Lawson said he had stayed at Dunn’s home numerous times over the last year and not declared it to officials, according to a police report.
Crimes from 40 Years Ago
In April 1984, Lawson, then 24, was convicted in Riverside Superior Court of rape, pimping and furnishing PCP to a minor and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served his sentence and is no longer on parole.
As a Tier 2 sex offender, Lawson is subject to lifetime sex offender registration.
Sex offenders are required to register in person and in writing every residence and address not less than every 90 days with the sheriff in whose jurisdiction the person is physically present, according to state law.
Lawson was registered as homeless from 2020 to 2023, according to the police report.
Peoria Police received a report July 27 that Lawson was residing at the Dunn home, which had not been registered.
Police discovered he had spent the night at Dunn’s house 20 or 30 times in the last year, according to a police report.
Arizona law states overnight stays at a location of more than three days requires sex offenders to register there as either a secondary or primary residence.
The report stated Lawson did not know sex offenders are required to register a residency as a secondary location if he was staying overnight at a residence more than three nights. Nor did he know it was a felony not to do so, according to the police report.
During numerous encounters, police worked with Lawson, advising him to permanently register at a residence, which he did Aug. 24, coming in compliance with his sex offender registration requirements, according to the report.
Police closed the case Aug. 29.
Harassment
Dunn confirmed Lawson had stayed at her house, which is also the residence of Lawson’s mother who is 78 years old and recently widowed. During the past few years, Dunn said said she had been living in fear of her next door neighbor, Shawn D. Williams, who she said had been threating, intimidating, harassing and stalking her since 2019.
Dunn said the man had more than 20 guns, threatened to blow up his house and one night caught him crawling on his roof looking into her house.
As a result, Dunn sought an injunction of harassment that was granted by Glendale Judge Laurel Canham and served by Peoria Police.
“When I would go to the mailbox, he would go at the same time and lean on the mailbox, blocking me from getting my mail. When I would open my garage door, he would come outside and stare at me,” Dunn said. “He was constantly lurking between the two homes and would often stand in front of my home at all hours of the day and night, staring into my front window.”
Dunn added the man lit himself on fire and committed suicide May 9.
“One night I got home from a council meeting and he was lurking and looking over my wall,” Dunn said. “I’m not exaggerating, I’ve been afraid for my life for a long time.”
It was that fear that made her feel safer when Lawson was at her home.
“His mom lived there. And he was homeless, so he never had a bed at my home. He’s never done anything to my knowledge other than protect his mom and myself,” Dunn said. “I’ve known him for years — his kids played with my kids when they were young. He was convicted four decades ago. It’s not a crime knowing someone with a past.”
Peoria Response
In a statement sent to Peoria Independent, Beck said Dunn should immediately resign for her involvement with Lawson.
“As public officials, we swear an oath to uphold the rule of law and defend the public safety of every single resident in Peoria. It is with a united front that we, the council, request Councilmember Dunn to immediately resign for having a sex offender living in her home who was not registered at her residence. The law mandates that the public and families in her community to receive this notice."
Despite varying perspectives on public policy among council members, we are all united in asking her to hold herself accountable for this breach of public trust,” according to the statement.
Executive Session
Dunn and the resignation request may have been the subject of an executive session the council called Aug. 24.
Tim La Sota, a lawyer who represents Dunn, stated in a letter that she has done nothing wrong, and instead, is a victim of an active effort by certain people at the city to undermine her personal safety.
In a letter sent to the city a day before the executive session, which was private, La Sota said the council has absolutely no power over Dunn with regard to “employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, demotion, dismissal, salaries, disciplining or resignation…,” according to state law.
“As such, the executive session on this topic is clearly not authorized by the Arizona open meetings law. Instead, this appears to be an obvious attempt to misuse the executive session provision in Arizona law for an ulterior purpose,” the letter states.
La Sota stated in the letter that because Dunn was the subject of the executive meeting she must have been given advanced written notice. However, that did not happen, he stated, which violates the state’s open meeting law.
In addition, under that statute, “[t]he notice given to the officer, appointee, or employee must describe the matters to be considered by the public body in a manner sufficient to enable the employee to make the initial decision whether to have the matters discussed in a public meeting,” according to the letter.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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