|
|
| Firing of Nevada prison camp chief upheld |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/29/2004 |
|
A state hearing officer has upheld the firing of a Nevada prison system lieutenant who allegedly left two inmates unattended with access to the keys to a van while he engaged in motel-room "cavorting" with a woman. George "Tony" Reyes, who had run the prison system's 150-inmate Tonopah camp, also faced allegations of using an inmate "goon squad" to bully other inmates, sexually harassing a female officer, filing bogus time sheets, not telling his employers about a karaoke business he ran in Mina, and other offenses. In her 49-page order, made available last Wednesday, hearing officer Angela Cartwright said a state inspector's general investigation focused on 19 misconduct allegations against Reyes, who was fired in October 2002. "Clearly, he was not conducting state business while cavorting with a woman in Mina, Nev.," Cartwright wrote, adding that the inmates in the van could have escaped. While they didn't try to flee, Cartwright said Reyes "set the stage" for something that could have had severe consequences. Reyes said he stopped in Mina while driving between Tonopah and Hawthorne, where he routinely picked up books for the camp. But he said he went into a motel to discuss family matters with a cousin, the hearing officer said. Reyes' dismissal was warranted "given the context that the misconduct of the employee endangered the security of the institution on multiple occasions," Cartwright said. The hearing officer also said inmates said Reyes repeatedly swore at them, and threatened to "bury" anyone who filed grievances against him. Cartwright also mentioned allegations of the "goon squad" inmates - known as the "inmate task force - beating up other convicts and even knocking out one who had "an attitude problem." Combined with the problems with Reyes' time sheets, secondary employment, sexual harassment of a subordinate and improper management of the Tonopah camp, Cartwright said she's "both unwilling and unable to dispute" Reyes' dismissal. The firing "does not appear to be disproportionate, particularly in view of the number of security-related violations in this case," she wrote. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think