Indy employee fired in harassment investigation; 6 more probes ongoing

INDIANAPOLIS — A City of Indianapolis employee has been fired in what has become a wave of harassment investigations at City-County Hall.

As first reported by the Indy Star, Matt Pleasant was fired Wednesday. The city government’s Corporation Counsel office released a document explaining scant details on Pleasant’s dismissal.

An investigation began on July 22 when city government human resources was told about allegations of “inappropriate sexual misconduct” by Pleasant. The probe found what’s described as “overwhelming evidence “ supporting the allegations.

As a result, an administrator of the Metropolitan Development Department terminated Pleasant’s employment with the city. His signature on the document is dated Sept. 4.

In a statement, Mayor Joe Hogsett disclosed there are another half-dozen ongoing harassment investigations.

“I remain committed to making continued changes to our policies and practices that ensure a safe and equitable workplace for all,” Hogsett said.

All of this comes in the aftermath of reports centering on one-time Hogsett confidante Thomas Cook.

Investigations by the State and Mirror Indy disclosed Cook aggressively pursued romantic relationships with people he worked with on Hogsett’s campaigns and in the Hogsett administration.

“My boundaries were gradually pushed over time when I started working on the campaign,” said Lauren Roberts, former deputy campaign manager, while described Cook’s grooming behavior.

Roberts said Cook’s pursuit often included large amounts of alcohol.

Caroline Ellert, who worked in the mayor’s office, said Cook demanded her attention.

“He would send dozens and dozens of texts and calls in a row and it was really, really taxing,” Ellert said.

Cook eventually resigned from his city post in 2020 after a pair of investigations found he had “inappropriate romantic” relationships with co-workers.

Last year, Cook was welcomed back to work on Hogsett’s re-election campaign where the same behavior emerged, leading to Cook’s firing in October.

But last week, when pressed on why Cook was brought back, Hogsett said, “I didn’t know anything about 2018 or 2019 until October or September of 2023.”

The mayor’s answer suggests he did not know about both investigations of Cook prior to his 2020 resignation. Meanwhile, information supplied by the city Corporation Counsel’s office indicated Hogsett did know the twin investigations that led to Cook’s original departure.

FOX59/CBS4 asked the mayor’s office a week ago about this discrepancy but has not received a response as of this article’s publication.

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