Welch

I. BACKGROUND

Welch joined the Department in February 2016. He served without significant incident until May 29, 2019, when he responded to a service call regarding an as yet unidentified individual causing a disturbance at a municipal maintenance yard. A. Service Call at the Maintenance Yard Welch pulled into the yard and saw four maintenance workers standing near a bicycle. He immediately approached the bicycle, produced a pocketknife, and “popped” the bicycle’s front and back tires. He then spoke with the maintenance workers in the yard. Two of the workers told Welch they had run an errand earlier in the day and saw a man with a bicycle on the highway. When they returned, they saw the same man steering the bicycle into the maintenance yard. The chain on the bicycle broke, and the individual slammed the bike to the ground. The man started screaming and yelling, and throwing tent stakes and rocks the size of softballs at nearby buildings. The man eventually left the yard, leaving the bicycle behind. He walked along the fence line towards an adjacent

2 creek and greenway, and soon disappeared from view. However, he continued throwing rocks over the fence for some period of…