Meeker County and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials offered little comment Monday regarding reports of an investigation involving the county.

County Attorney Stephanie Beckman told the Independent Review in a telephone interview that she would have no comment other than a written press release, which she sent late Monday afternoon. In it, Beckman said only, “The County's official response to all questions about a federal investigation should be directed to the investigating agency, the FBI, as the county is not at liberty to comment at this time.”

County Administrator Paul Virnig, reached at his office Monday afternoon, said he could not comment at all on what may or may not be happening and directed all questions to Beckman.

Reports of eight to 10 FBI investigators visiting the Meeker County Courthouse and Meeker County Law Enforcement Center surfaced last week.

Litchfield Police Chief Pat Fank, whose department is located in the law enforcement center along with the Meeker County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday that FBI investigators interviewed some of his officers but that he did not know what the investigation was about.

“I don’t have a lot, mainly because the only thing I can do is speculate and guess, and I don’t want to do that,” Fank said. “Several of my officers were spoken to and we are cooperating (with the investigation).”

Litchfield Police were not the only people contacted, Fank said, adding “there were multiple interviews going on at the law enforcement center.”

Fank said there was nothing that led him to believe that his office was being investigated. The chief said FBI agents showed up at the law enforcement center Wednesday and asked him for assistance in setting up interviews with some of his officers.

Asked how many officers were interviewed, Fank said, “several.” He could not be more specific, he said, because “there may be officers they didn’t ask me about” who agents did talk to. Agents did not interview Fank, he said.

“We work directly with a lot of different aspects of life in the county,” Fank said in explaining why Litchfield officers may have been interviewed in as part of an investigation of a county office or individual.

“It’s a lot of vague information; that’s they way they keep it is a vague investigation,” Fank said. “I don’t know specifically what they’re looking into. They’re doing the investigation; we’re cooperating.”

Paul McCabe, communications director for the FBI’s Minneapolis office, said in a brief interview Monday afternoon that the agency “does not confirm or deny” investigations. He said such investigations would become public information upon filing of documents with the courts.