Sexual harassment allegations against fired Fort Valley public safety director detailed in investigative documents

The findings of an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Fort Valley’s public safety director reveal scurrilous accusations but state that not much could be corroborated.

City Council voted 4-3 Thursday night to fire John David Anderson, who had served as police chief since 2006 and also managed the fire department since 2010.

The allegations stem from a complaint by patrol officer Casey Pippin, who said Anderson had been making inappropriate comments to her and tried to have a sexual relationship with her, according to city documents.

Anderson denied that to City Administrator Martha McAfee, who investigated the complaint and compiled a written summary of the statements of each witness. Anderson denied making any inappropriate comments to Pippin and said she was the one who made sexual comments, according to his statement.

Pippin said in her statement that she was dating fire department Lt. Jeremy Morgan, and she said Anderson tried to stop their relationship because Anderson wanted to have a relationship with her.

Anderson acknowledged that he advised the two not to have a relationship, but he told McAfee that was because they were still both going through divorces, not because he had interest in Pippin. Anderson also said he had loaned Morgan $1,300 to help Morgan with expenses related to the divorce.

The last sentence of the summary of Anderson’s statement reads, “Director Anderson advised me that he feels he has done nothing wrong except maybe allowed himself to get involved in the personal lives of ones who don’t want him to.”

In her recommendation to council to fire Anderson, McAfee stated that many of Pippin’s claims could not be substantiated. However, she wrote the investigation revealed Anderson “made unprofessional and inappropriate comments about Officer Pippin to at least one employee.”

That employee appears to be Morgan. According to his statement to McAfee, Morgan said Anderson told him he could not see Pippin and that Anderson called Pippin derogatory sexual terms and “a badge bunny.” Morgan said “badge bunny” is a reference to women who go after men with badges.

“The investigation also clearly revealed that Director Anderson engaged in intimate and casual conversation with Officer Pippin and other officers to a degree that falls well below the acceptable level of conduct for his level of command,” McAfee wrote in the report.

The council voted to fire Anderson after a closed meeting that lasted about an hour. Documents released after the vote indicated Anderson was informed he could come to the meeting, but he did not make an appearance.

Efforts to contact him Friday were unsuccessful. A message on his cell phone states that it is no longer his number.

Pippin had accused Anderson of sending her inappropriate text messages, but no such messages were found, according to investigative documents. Pippin said her phone had crashed, and the messages were not on her new phone. McAfee wrote that she asked Anderson to turn over his cell phone, which he initially refused. He said although the phone was on the city account, it was his personal phone, and he paid the bill, documents state.

McAfee, however, insisted on getting the phone, and Anderson turned it over. But McAfee noted everything on it appeared to have been deleted except for a few contact numbers. She wrote that Anderson told her he deleted the information on the advice of his attorney because he had “lots of personal stuff like his banking information and other personal business and e-mails on the phone.”

Anderson told McAfee that he believed Pippin, a rookie officer, was making the accusations because she was upset that she had been required to spend a few more weeks as a trainee in which she would only ride on patrol with another officer.

Anderson was suspended with pay for 10 days on March 6, the day the initial complaint was made. Maj. Lawrence Spurgeon has been serving as interim chief since that time, and the council voted Thursday to continue that while a search for a permanent chief is conducted.

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published March 17, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Sexual harassment allegations against fired Fort Valley public safety director detailed in investigative documents."