March 21, 2000
Porter to remain on paid leave
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
A sheriff's office employee is to remain on paid administrative leave until the sheriff makes a decision regarding disciplinary action.
Sheriff H. Weldin Neff said he has five days, until Friday, to review the report from Nancy Porter's disciplinary hearing. The hearing was held Monday at the sheriff's office.
Porter, the Seneca County Jail administrative assistant, has been on administrative leave since December 1998, when she testified in the intimidation and theft in office case against Neff, Administrative Assistant Barb Gracemyer and Lt. James Browning. All three were acquitted of those charges earlier this month.
Tim Thwaits, a former major at the sheriff's office, and Dennis Brady, the former jail administrator, also had been on administrative leave, but were fired last week.
Sheriff's Lt. Tom Reinhart was in charge of the hearing and issued a report, which Neff said would be used in making his decision.
"The whole thing is just dumb, and they are continuing to hurt good people," said Kinsley Nyce, a Columbus attorney representing Brady, Thwaits and Porter.
According to Nyce, Porter is accused of participating in a document-shredding incident in the days after former sheriff Carl Runion died, as well as two other administrative procedures. None of the offenses took place in the last 15-18 months, he said.
Nyce said during the hearing, he and Porter requested copies of the employee handbook Porter is accused of violating, and Dick Gortz, a labor consultant for the county, refused to give them a copy.
The letter Porter received stated that Porter could face punishment as severe as termination, Nyce said.