Mayor resigns after accidentally sending nude video to city attorney instead of girlfriend
A mayor in North Dakota resigned after he got a little clumsy with his thumbs and accidentally sent an explicit video of himself to a city attorney.
In a report by local outlet Minot Daily News carried by PEOPLE, city attorney Stefanie Stalheim received a phone call from now former mayor Tom Ross in January regarding a police officer who committed suicide at the time.
After the call, Ross mistakenly texted Stalheim a video of himself in the nude, which he insisted was for his romantic partner.
While he tried to correct his mistake by calling Stalheim and asking her not to open the video and to instead delete it, Stalheim still managed to get a glimpse of its contents as the video's thumbnail was also graphic.
Two weeks later, Stalheim filed a formal complaint against Ross, claiming that since he uses his personal cell phone to conduct city business, he was "reckless" to "use that device to record and send videos of this nature."
"He knew the risk he was taking by engaging in such behavior," the complaint read.
Stalheim requested a formal apology from Ross and asked him to consider resigning from his position.
Investigators concluded that the incident met the city’s definition of workplace harassment regardless of whether it was an accident.
Following this, Ross submitted his resignation letter to the Minot City Council on April 2.
He expressed his regret over the incident and implored that the matter be conducted internally, not publicly. He noted how he has never sexually harassed anyone at work and how he maintained a good track record with others in the workplace before the accidental text.
