Locust fires police officer

Published 8:54 pm Tuesday, December 21, 2021

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A Locust police officer has been fired for actions away from the job.

Locust City Administrator Cesar Correa said Tuesday afternoon a police officer was placed on administrative leave Dec. 17 pending further investigation.

Correa said the same employee was terminated Monday at 2 p.m. “following the completion of the investigation of the police department.”

“The circumstances and the facts that led to the termination of the officer occurred while the officer was off duty,” he said.

Correa said he was “not at liberty to discuss anything else, including the name of the officer given that this is, in fact, a personnel matter.”

“It’s likely there’s going to be a follow-up investigation,” he said. “The police department referred the investigation to the district attorney and the SBI.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Ginger Efird, an administrative assistant for District Attorney T. Lynn Clodfelter, said she spoke with the district attorney to see if he had received a request from Locust.

“I can tell you currently we have not been asked to investigate, nor have we requested an investigation at this point into any employee from Locust being terminated,” Efird said.

She said the city may still be in the process of it, “but it has not reached this office as of yet.”

About Charles Curcio

Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.

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