Five Tennessee officers fired, three suspended after sex scandal at police department
Rachel Schilke
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A Tennessee police department officer’s anonymous complaint led to an investigation that fired five officers and suspended three others after they were all linked to a sex scandal within the department.
Mayor Jason Cole of La Vergne received an anonymous complaint that eventually led to the discovery of several officers engaging in inappropriate sexual relationships, committing sexual harassment by sending explicit videos and photos, and having sex on duty and on city-owned property, according to an investigative report obtained by ABC News affiliate WSMV-TV.
The anonymous complaint was discovered to have been filed by Sgt. Henry Ty McGowan, who was among one of the five officers that were fired.
Through the investigation, Officer Maegan Hall was found to have intimate sexual relationships with other members of the La Vergne police department, including Sgt. Lewis Powell, Officer Patrick Magliocco, Officer Larry Holladay, Detective Seneca Shields, and Officer Juan Lugo-Perez.
All men admitted to having undisclosed relationships with Hall, and Shields told city officials that Hall performed oral sex on him while on duty inside the police department gym before returning to their desks to finish the rest of their shift.
Sgt. Eric Staats hosted a “Girls Gone Wild”-type party on his houseboat with multiple officers and their families. The investigative report states that Hall’s top came off, and officers were drinking heavily.
Other instances of intimate relations between the officers included sexual acts being performed at substations, participating in open marriages and discussing threesomes with Hall and their wives, and sending explicit photos between police officers.
“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,” Police Chief Burrel Davis said Monday in a statement to CBS News.
Hall, Lugo-Perez, Shields, Powell, and McGowan were fired. Holladay, Magliocco, and Officer Gavin Schoeberl were placed on unpaid suspension.
According to the report, Hall, McGowan, Powell, and Lugo were placed on paid administrative leave starting on Dec. 16, and Shields was placed on the same leave on Dec. 27.
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Cole approved the terminations and suspensions on Dec. 29.
The 60-person police department now has 11 open sworn positions, according to the news outlet. It is unclear at this time when the investigation will be completed.