Fired Fargo Officer Speaks Out Hours Before Appeal Hearing

FARGO, N.D. (KFGO/KVRR) — One day before his appeal hearing before the Fargo City Commission, a fired officer is explaining why he believes he is being unfairly treated by the department he served for almost 20 years.

In an interview with KFGO News, Justin Nachatilo acknowledged he made mistakes in the cases cited in his termination.

But he says the department’s accusations that he intentionally misrepresented the truth are why he continues to fight the decision.

Nachatilo suffers from PTSD and says when he returned from a stint in inpatient care to deal with the issue, Chief Dave Zibolski removed him as a detective and reassigned him to patrol.

His lawyer claims City Attorney Nancy Morris rejected an offer for Nachatilo to resign rather then continue with the appeal and didn’t share that information with commissioners.

The appeal hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Fargo City Hall.