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The flirtatious words and touches from a deputy police chief and the veiled threats from an administrative manager were not severe enough to warrant a lawsuit from a former custodian of the Marion Police Department, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously decided Friday.

The custodian, Valerie Rheeder, sued the city and three police department employees in 2019 and claimed she was sexually harassed and retaliated against when she complained about it.

The situation stems from numerous attempts by then-Deputy Chief Douglas Slagle to cultivate a relationship with Rheeder in late 2018 and early 2019.

He sought her cellphone number, repeatedly requested to meet with her alone, stood too close to her

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