Palin Could Be Deposed in Probe

Monegan suspects Todd Palin was tracking Wooten's activities because Monegan says the governor's husband once called to complain that the trooper, who was on light duty because of an injury, was snow-machining at his residence far from Palin's home.

Monegan declined to discuss details of Wooten's alleged misdeeds, citing the ongoing investigation and Monegan's upcoming Sept. 10 interview with Branchflower, the independent investigator hired by the state senate's Legislative Counsel Committee.

On July 11, Monegan says he was called to the governor's office where chief of staff Mike Nizich told him he was being removed from his position because Palin wanted to take the Department of Public Safety in a different direction.

Monegan is convinced that his refusal to discipline Wooten was a major factor in his dismissal. He says he understands Palin's passion about the issue.

"I've been a cop for a long time, and I know how emotional divorces can get," Monegan says. "If, in fact, it turns out to be the case [that the investigation determines that Palin abused her office by exerting pressure], she's just being human."

The alleged meetings with Monegan may have been just the latest steps in Palin's apparent campaign to alert Wooten's superiors to his alleged misbehavior.

In 2005, less than three months before she began her campaign for governor, Palin sent an e-mail from her personal account to the head of the Alaska state troopers about Wooten. The e-mail was obtained by ABC News and other outlets.

In the message, Palin relayed more than two dozen incidents in which she or others alleged Wooten had driven drunk, made threats, violated game hunting laws, hurt his son, abused his authority as a law enforcement officer, been unfaithful to his wife, and more.

Palin noted allegations that Wooten had threatened to "bring Sarah Palin down," as well as make Palin's father "eat a f******* lead bullet."

The allegations, taken together, "would lead a rational person to believe there is a problem inside the [state troopers'] organization," asserted Palin in the e-mail.