3-day hearing to decide ex-police chief's fate

CHILLICOTHE – What began as administrative leave and termination nearly seven months ago is nearing resolution as former police chief Roger Moore faces a trial board this week tasked with deciding whether he can come back to work.

The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday at the city administration building. Wednesday's opening day is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., city Human Resources Director Tammy Bochard said.

Moore and his attorney, Paige McMahon, will offer his response to the case made by the city in favor of the chief's termination. Moore was initially placed on paid administrative leave July 25 before being terminated Aug. 22 for what the city deemed insubordination, malfeasance and failure of good behavior.

A three-person board made up of Civil Service Commission member James Cutright, Zion Baptist Church Pastor Troy Gray and former Ross County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jhan Corzine will hear Moore's appeal.

The trial board will make a decision after testimony offered by Moore, his attorney and Patrick Kasson, who is representing the city and was paid by the city's insurance carrier.

The trial board will then make a recommendation to the Civil Service Commission — made up of Cutright, local attorney Anna Villarreal Jenkins and First Baptist Church's the Rev. Olie Burton — which can either accept or reject the recommendation.

Burton and Jenkins recused themselves from the trial board.

The past few months have been busy for Moore, who filed for unemployment compensation from the city Nov. 4 and was ultimately denied by Ohio Job and Family Services on Feb. 13 after a Dec. 29 hearing.

Moore also is involved in a lawsuit against the city in a worker's compensation case involving the claim for his late wife, Elizabeth, who died after a 15-year career as a city firefighter.

Elizabeth Moore died in April 2012 of metastatic lung cancer, and Roger Moore filed for benefits, claiming exhaust fumes from the department's Fire Station No. 3 could have contributed to her death.

Bochard said there is no timeline specified by city law as to when the trial board's recommendation has to be presented to the commission. Bochard said the decision could take up to an additional two or three months.

Meanwhile, a new city police chief has not been chosen. Should Moore not be reinstated as chief, the Civil Service Commission will have to administer a test to the three police captains — Keith Washburn, Larry Bamfield and Kevin Teeters — should they decide to apply for the position. The test is slated to be administered March 31.

Moore, who earned $90,558.57 in his capacity as police chief before he was terminated, was hired by the city May 12, 1992, and would be eligible for $1,250 in longevity pay if he returns to his former position. In addition, Moore would likely receive back pay from the date of his termination if he is reinstated, roughly half his annual salary.

The city also would be required to make payments toward Moore's pension, city Auditor Luke Feeney said. The city council would have to approve appropriating the money, which would come directly out of the city's general fund, Feeney added.