Missoula Countyattorney speaks to DOJ investigation

MISSOULA (AP) — The Missoula County attorney says he is willing to scrutinize the way his office handles sexual assault and rape cases, but will not cooperate with a Department of Justice probe he calls politically motivated.

Fred Van Valkenburg spoke Monday at a City Club Missoula luncheon and blamed the Missoulian newspaper for unfairly creating a national story about rape in Missoula. He says he's never been told the number of sexual assault cases investigated and referred to his office are "unusual or out of proportion" with what any community sees.

The DOJ announced in May 2012 an investigation of the way the University of Montana campus police, city police and the county attorney's office handle reports of sexual assaults. UM and the city have reached agreements with the agency to make changes.