Wednesday, March 10, 2004
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004 |
| Deputy fired after arrest for injuring girlfriend in Wyoming By JOHN MUNFORD A Fayette County sheriff’s deputy has been fired after he was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend in Wyoming Christmas Eve. Les Gillespie, 39, was arrested by the Jackson Police Department for battery (family violence) at the Snow King resort. Witnesses said Gillespie grabbed the victim around the neck with both of his hands, leaving marks on her neck, according to police reports obtained by The Citizen. Gillespie, a 16-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, denied that he battered the victim, but he admitted to pushing her out the door of their hotel room. Gillespie, who last served as helicopter pilot for the Hawk 1 helicopter unit, was fired Jan. 15 after a hearing was conducted by the sheriff’s department’s disciplinary board, according to records. Gillespie appealed that decision, which was upheld by the department’s appeal board Feb. 2. The disciplinary board determined that Gillespie’s actions Dec. 24 violated departmental policies on violation of law, professional image, on- and off-duty conduct and conduct unbecoming an officer, according to documents obtained under the Georgia Open Records Act. At the time of his arrest, Gillespie and his girlfriend had travelled to Utah to visit with his children, who live there with their mother, according to the police report. Gillespie and the victim took the kids to the resort and had an altercation while at dinner, the report indicated. Gillespie complained to police that he had been struck by the victim during the argument, but there are no indications any charges have been filed against her. One of the reports filed by Jackson Hole police indicate that Gillespie may have been deceptive during his initial interview with police officers. It was later noted that his original story was inconsistent with information from other witnesses. Gillespie was suspended from duty without pay for two days in September stemming from an incident in July when he pulled over a motor vehicle on I-75 in Peach County, records indicated. Gillespie “exhibited poor judgment” by stopping a motorist without a backup officer, leading to a situation where he had to draw his weapon to protect himself, according to the report. Because Gillespie’s car radio was inoperative and backup didn’t arrive, he had to “back out of the situation to prevent an escalation of events,” the report stated. It was also noted that Gillespie did not immediately notify his supervisor or the Peach County Sheriff’s Office, “committing the offense of failure to establish and maintain control of a citizen that has committed a punishable offense,” the report said.
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