Elkhart cop, who was suspended for misconduct, settles lawsuit over $32K loan for sports car

ELKHART — An Elkhart police officer has reached a settlement with a man she was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with after she became his power of attorney and gained access to his financial assets.

Officer Taryn Lanzen was suspended by the department in July over the matter. Now, she's settled a civil case in which Thad Werno sued her for the return of $32,000 she used to buy a replica sports car.

The conditions of the settlement are not publicly available and an attorney representing Lanzen declined to discuss the terms, citing a confidentiality clause in the agreement. According to court records, the parties were engaged in settlement discussions in November and submitted a notice to the court in late December that a settlement had been reached.

“I can’t speak to the terms, but it looks like we’re going to get a result to everyone’s satisfaction,” said Patrick O’Leary, who represented Lanzen in the case.

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J. Thomas Vetne, an attorney representing Werno, did not return messages seeking comment.

Lanzen first met Werno in June 2020 when he complained she had driven her squad car over his lawn. She went back to his house later that day to discuss the complaint and the two quickly formed a relationship that would result in Taryn Lanzen, and her husband, Nathan Lanzen, gaining “complete financial control” over Werno’s finances, according to police documents.

By late August of that year, Taryn Lanzen had access to Werno’s banking and retirement accounts, was named a beneficiary on Werno’s will and 401K plan, and had been granted power of attorney for the 59-year-old man.

An investigation by the Elkhart County Police did not lead to any criminal charges against either officer, but Elkhart Police Chief Kris Seymore moved to fire both of them for unethical conduct, among other allegations.

At a hearing before the Elkhart Police Merit Commission in July 2021, Taryn Lanzen testified that she and her husband befriended Werno in order to help him out and that she quickly came to view Werno as a father figure following the death of her own father.

The relationship was complicated by the fact that Werno began making sexual advances towards Taryn Lanzen and repeatedly asked her to leave her husband, police records and testimony show. Taryn Lanzen argued her relationship with Werno, including any financial decisions, had nothing to do with her position as a police officer.

The city contended that Taryn Lanzen used her position as a police officer for personal gain, with detectives testifying Taryn Lanzen visited Werno multiple times while on duty and wore her police uniform to a meeting with Werno’s lawyer when he signed over his power of attorney.

Ultimately, the merit commission suspended Taryn Lanzen for two months, but did not fire her. After seeing the commission's decision not to fire Taryn Lanzen, Seymore offered Nathan Lanzen an agreement in which he was demoted and suspended for 30 days.

“I wanted termination for both because I think that the behavior exhibited here is not what we want our officers to do and not what the community expects of us,” Seymore said after the hearings in July.

Taryn Lanzen is currently employed at the department, though Nathan Lanzen left the force in November, according to a police department spokeswoman.

The civil lawsuit, filed by Werno in April 2021, sought to recoup a $32,000 loan he said he gave Taryn Lanzen so she could buy a replica Shelby Cobra.

In response, Taryn Lanzen filed a countersuit against Werno, claiming the terms of the loan were “casual” and “vague.” Taryn Lanzen’s initial response also accused Werno of filing the lawsuit and defaming her to officials in the Elkhart Police Department as retaliation for rejecting his romantic advances.

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Elkhart police officer Taryn Lanzen settles lawsuit after accusations