Husband of slain ex-trooper wants $400K from school district
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TOLEDO, Wash. -- After more than a decade of controversy following the death of former state trooper Ronda Reynolds, the small community of Toledo is facing one last outrage.
Toledo isn't a big or wealthy town. So when news hit that Ronda's husband, Ron Reynolds, wanted the school district to pony up five years of pay in exchange for his resignation as an elementary school principal, the community was stunned.
"Sometimes when you get fired, you get fired with no severance pay," one woman said.
Ronda Reynolds died in 1998 of a single gunshot wound to her head. Though initially ruled a suicide, Ronda's mother spent 13 years challenging the death certificate. Her hard work paid off last fall when a coroner's inquest jury ruled the death was murder and both Reynolds and his son, Jonathon, were responsible.
But the Lewis County prosecutor said there wasn't enough evidence for a criminal trial, and the case is now in limbo.
Reynolds has been on paid administrative leave since last October, and the school has since hired two interim principals.
Now Reynolds is asking for more than $400,000 to officially resign, which the school district wants him to do.
"There's no way that our school district could financially pull that off, absolutely no way. It would break us," said Superintendent Sharon Bower.
Attorney Rick Cordes said Reynolds has done nothing wrong and shouldn't be penalized as a result.
"He'd like to work, too," Cordes said. "He'd like to keep his job, and he's possibly losing his job for no fault of his own."
Many residents in the small community say it's time to put the pain of the case behind them.
"I think it just would be good for him to leave the community," one resident said. "Best for everybody."
Cordes believes Reynolds and the district should be able to negotiate some kind of financial agreement in the next couple of weeks.
Toledo isn't a big or wealthy town. So when news hit that Ronda's husband, Ron Reynolds, wanted the school district to pony up five years of pay in exchange for his resignation as an elementary school principal, the community was stunned.
"Sometimes when you get fired, you get fired with no severance pay," one woman said.
Ronda Reynolds died in 1998 of a single gunshot wound to her head. Though initially ruled a suicide, Ronda's mother spent 13 years challenging the death certificate. Her hard work paid off last fall when a coroner's inquest jury ruled the death was murder and both Reynolds and his son, Jonathon, were responsible.
But the Lewis County prosecutor said there wasn't enough evidence for a criminal trial, and the case is now in limbo.
Reynolds has been on paid administrative leave since last October, and the school has since hired two interim principals.
Now Reynolds is asking for more than $400,000 to officially resign, which the school district wants him to do.
"There's no way that our school district could financially pull that off, absolutely no way. It would break us," said Superintendent Sharon Bower.
Attorney Rick Cordes said Reynolds has done nothing wrong and shouldn't be penalized as a result.
"He'd like to work, too," Cordes said. "He'd like to keep his job, and he's possibly losing his job for no fault of his own."
Many residents in the small community say it's time to put the pain of the case behind them.
"I think it just would be good for him to leave the community," one resident said. "Best for everybody."
Cordes believes Reynolds and the district should be able to negotiate some kind of financial agreement in the next couple of weeks.
