Mayor fires 5 La Vergne police officers, suspends 3 after sexual misconduct investigation
UPDATE: This story was updated at about 5:30 p.m. to include comments from the mayor and police chief.
La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole recently fired five police officers and suspended three others without pay following investigation findings accusing them of sexual misconduct.
"This situation is unacceptable and as soon as it was brought to our attention it was immediately investigated and action was taken upon the individuals involved," Cole said in a statement. "Our top priority moving forward will include rebuilding the public’s trust. I have full confidence in the police department’s leadership team and their ability to lead the department. We will be retraining all of our employees in the rules, regulations, and expectations set forth by city leadership."
La Vergne identified the following as the fired officers:
Patrol officer Maegan Hall
Patrol officer Juan Lugo‐Perez
Sgt. Henry Ty McGowan
Sgt. Lewis Powell
Detective Seneca Shields
The city identified the following as the three suspended offices without pay:
Patrol/K‐9 officer Larry Holladay
Patrol officer Patrick Magliocco
Patrol officer Gavin Schoeberl
The mayor requested the city's Human Resources Director Andrew Patton investigate the officers on Dec. 12 after Cole received information from McGowan, according to a Dec. 28 report showing investigation findings. Cole by Dec. 29 approved the discipline decisions recommended by police chief, city attorney, city administrator and assistant city administrator.
The document includes an investigation of sexual harassment of officers involving the sending of nude photos of Hall.
The report mentions officers failing to report their sexual relationships and sexual activity while on duty.
The document also mentions a finding of workplace violence and accuses McGowan of coming into the HR office and putting his hands around the neck of another.
Another finding accuses Powell and McGowan of conspiring to be untruthful during the investigation.
La Vergne Police Chief Burrel “Chip” Davis also provided the following statement following the investigation that led to five officers being fired and three suspended without pay.
"This is a difficult situation for our department and for the city, but I want to be clear that the actions of a few do not represent this department as a whole," the chief said.
"This situation is being addressed internally with our staff, we are bringing in counselors to help our officers work through these circumstances, and we will continue to provide the most professional protection as possible for this community.
"We have sufficient staff to cover all of our patrol shifts and I have full confidence in our officer’s ability to protect and serve,' the chief added. "We are working diligently to rebuild the trust of our citizens and our community. We understand this will take time and diligence from our command staff and officers to repair the honor and integrity of our department."
Note: This story will be updated.
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This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: La Vergne mayor fires officers amid sexual misconduct investigation
