Newly Elected Mayor Kell Palguta is in Hot Water: As He Begins His Third Term, He Faces Accusations of Wrongdoing in a Local Bar – Bill Williams

This reporter got a tip that on Sunday the 16th, Prescott Valley Mayor Kell Palguta was involved in an “altercation” in the Birdcage Saloon on Prescott’s Whisky Row, aka Montezuma Street.

As is true in Prescott Valley, social media lit up with rumors and allegations that we reluctantly report. One woman posted that her friend witnessed it and there was a choking of some kind.

When this reporter went to Prescott PD, the clerk said, “We have no paperwork for you. We have no incident report on Mayor Kell Palguta.” Is Blue covering for Blue already? My next stop was Birdcage Saloon where people in the know confirmed the incident, one asking me, if “I knew the mayor of my town was a f***ing ***hole?”

I urged the mayor to come clean and talk to me as he has complimented me as a reporter in the past.

He issued this statement: “I am aware that charges related to an incident I was involved in at a business establishment in Prescott last Sunday are moving forward, and I expect to receive a citation within the next couple of days. I want to specifically recognize and thank the Prescott Police Department for the professionalism they have demonstrated throughout this process. They have a job to do, and I respect that responsibility and the legal process that follows. Because this is now an active legal matter, I will not debate the details through social media or the court of public opinion. There will be an appropriate time and place for the complete circumstances surrounding the incident to be addressed. In the meantime, I will continue doing the job I was elected to do and remain focused on serving the residents of Prescott Valley.”

Prescott Valley Town Manager Gilbert Davidson was also asked by this reporter to comment, and he issued a more banal comment: “The Town of Prescott Valley is aware of reports regarding an incident involving Mayor Kell Palguta in another jurisdiction on Sunday August 16^th. We take all matters involving the conduct of our elected officials seriously. We understand that an investigation is currently underway by the relevant authorities; the town is monitoring the situation and we’ll provide updates as appropriate.”

Palguta as a Troubled Cop

It is not lost in irony that a triple fatality accident that occurred a few blocks away from the Birdcage in front of St. Michaels Hotel in 2001, was the result of a high-speed chase that began at the old Circle K in Prescott Valley when former PVPD police Sergeant Palguta, later busted down to corporal, encountered a crime suspect. While he was never found guilty of the high-speed chase or deaths, the Town of Prescott Valley settled lawsuits that “stemmed from the death of three young men in a traffic accident involving a fleeing felon,” according to a PV spokesperson.

The total settlement amount was $2.65 million, although the families had initially filed claims against the Town totaling $115 million.

This reporter acquired, by way of the state open records law, Palguta’s entire HR file while he was working as a police officer for PV. He received numerous discipline letters [documents available on request], and when he tried to retire, he was snubbed, so he had three doctors write letters to the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System in Phoenix and receives $3,500 per month for his “acquired” post-traumatic stress disorder (attachments) Palguta would never discuss whether he was “stressed” by the deaths.

The buzz around PV is “how does the mayor own two approximate $1 million homes, (county website is the source), two restaurants (Fat Frog, and the former Colt Grill), a construction company registered with the state R.O.C., and a real estate company?”

It is important to note that the owner of Prescott ENews is an attorney and believes that no one is guilty until proven so in a court of law. We will update the story of the Birdcage incident as we get more information.