CCSO deputy resigns amid allegations of inappropriate behavior
A Calhoun County Sheriff’s Deputy resigned Monday amid allegations of inappropriate behavior.
The County Record (TCR) received informaton early Monday that a complaint had been reported to the CCSO regarding a deputy allegedly meeting a woman at a local park and engaging in inappropriate behavior while on duty. Upon making a public records request for information on the complaint, a spokesperson for the agency denied any such complaint existed.
TCR persisted, with News Editor Kelli Peacock Dunn advising the agency she had confirmation a complaint had, in fact, been made and administration was aware of the allegations. “I don't know if this was entered in the CAD system, but the complaint has been lodged,” Peacock Dunn stated in her second public records request. “I just need to get any documentation related to the complaint, any internal investigation or handling of the matter.”
Again, no acknowledgement of the complaint.
“I have checked with the Sheriff and Captain. As of right now, no one has knowledge of any complaint that has been submitted,” the spokesperson responded.
Peacock Dunn sent a third request, stating, “I think they may just be trying to keep it quiet. Not saying you have knowledge about it, but the sheriff and captain are aware. Please convey to them that I am aware of the parties involved and they may want to prepare a statement and document the handling of this incident, then forward that to me in response to the public records request. I know the complaint was made and I know it's been handled in some capacity, whether they documented it or not. Again, I would strongly urge them to document what has transpired and forward that to me. Thank you for your help on this, I know you can't find anything if there is nothing to find and that is not your fault.”
Within an hour of the last request for information on the complaint, Deputy Sims reportedly resigned. The following morning, the CCSO confirmed Sims’ resignation and provided the following statement to TCR:
“On Monday, April 14, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office did have a deputy sheriff resign due to persistent rumors. The Sheriff had received a call advising him of possible inappropriate relations between a deputy and a female, while the deputy was on duty. The Sheriff questioned the deputy concerning the rumor. The deputy assured the Sheriff that there was no validity to the rumor. The rumor persisted and the Sheriff heard the rumor from other sources. He then contacted the patrol staff and asked if they had heard any comments related to the rumor. One of the staff had heard the rumors. The deputy was again questioned concerning the incident. The deputy denied any allegations of sexual contact on duty, but admitted to meeting with an individual while on duty. The deputy decided to resign, effective immediately.”
