Saturday, Oct. 04, 2008

Sheriff's employee suspended for showing topless photos

A Manatee County Sheriff's Office civilian employee has been suspended for showing co-workers topless photos of herself at work while on duty.

Sheila Meschelle, 36, was suspended Sept. 22 for seven days without pay for insubordination and conduct unbecoming. Her duties as a community services officer include assisting deputies with crime scene work and traffic control.

Sheriff's internal affairs investigators found that in late 2007 Meschelle showed her supervising sergeant and other co-workers a photo of her topless, wearing political campaign stickers as pasties.

When presented with the photo, Sgt. Keith Noordzy reprimanded Meschelle and ordered her never to bring the photo, or any like it, to work, according to sheriff's reports.

A few months later, Meschelle admitted bringing to work a photo of her shooting a rifle while topless at a Manatee gun range, and showing it to three deputies.

Internal investigators said that bringing the picture to work amounted to insubordination for ignoring her sergeant's initial order.

Britt said an anonymous caller told internal investigators Meschelle was having an affair with a deputy, which is against sheriff's office rules.

The accusation was dropped because the deputy could not be located after he left the sheriff's office prior to the internal investigation, Britt said.

But during that inquiry, Britt said Meschelle volunteered information about the pictures.

"I guess this is what you get for telling the truth these days," Britt said.

Britt called his client's suspension excessive. Bringing the picture to work may have been unprofessional, but people have gotten a lot lighter punishments for doing things a lot worse, he said.

"She works in the good old boy club that law enforcement agencies tend to be, and she was just trying to fit in with the boys," Britt said. "In the scope of things, it really isn't that big a deal."

Internal investigators initially recommended an 80-hour, or 10-day suspension. Instead, sheriff's Col. Chuck Hagaman suspended her for 56 hours. Sheriff's officials declined to comment.

While on duty, woman showed coworkers topless photos of herself