“It is our sincere hope that the Missoula County attorney will follow that example and work cooperatively with the Justice Department to address the deficiencies identified in our investigation, and to improve the safety of women in this community,” Cotter said.

One of Van Valkenburg’s criticisms about the DOJ was that it withheld the results of its investigation into his office even as it proposed a settlement agreement in December. That plan entailed his office hiring internal investigators and a victim advocate, and designating county prosecutors who would focus on sexual assault.

Van Valkenburg argued the DOJ had never provided proof that his department discriminated against victims of sexual assault and violated civil rights.

“The DOJ apparently feels that it has no duty whatsoever to set out its evidence of alleged civil rights violations and simply expects our office will bend to its will,” he wrote in a letter that rejected the DOJ’s proposed settlement, citing in part a cost to the county of $300,000 and $400,000.

On Friday, Van Valkenburg said “there was no effort whatsoever by the DOJ to in any way inform me before they made this thing public. I got off an airplane, 1,000 miles from Missoula, and saw that this report had been released. It is absolutely unfair and unethical.”