By Katherine Ullmer Staff Writer
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Copyright 2007 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
SUGARCREEK TWP., Ohio — The Sugarcreek Twp. trustees voted 2-to-1 in two separate votes at their April 16 trustee meeting to accept the resignation of Sugarcreek Twp. police/fire dispatcher and volunteer firefighter/ EMT Pamela Darrington, 54, from her two township jobs.
Her resignation from the fire department was effective April 12; from the communications dispatcher job, April 13.
Trustee Nadine Daugherty, who has been friends with Darrington over the years, cast the sole dissenting vote.
“I just felt there could have been a better solution rather than her resigning,” she said.
“I felt I was being targeted,” said Darrington, 54, during a public comment period at the end of the meeting. “I was a danger to certain leaders. I hear a lot from both departments.”
Darrington, has been with the township fire department since Dec. 13, 1993. She served 5? years part time (1997-2002) and the rest as a volunteer. She’s been a dispatcher since Aug. 19, 2002.
Contacted after the meeting, Darrington said she believes Sugarcreek Twp. Administrator Barry Tiffany “wanted me gone. I was a threat. I knew everybody in every department. I wasn’t one to go running to everyone, but they thought I did. I felt I was being targeted and there was no way they would let me continue working.”
Tiffany served as acting chief several times in the last few months after Chief Kelly Blair was fired in 2006 and when Chief Allen Wheeler resigned after several months on the job, citing the expense of moving from Columbus.
“I don’t know what her issue is,” Tiffany said. “I wish her the best.”
He said he doesn’t believe she was targeted by anyone.
Darrington had been put on paid administrative leave April 4 from her communications dispatcher job by Sugarcreek Twp. Fire Chief Randall Pavlak pending an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct regarding a March 19 police dispatcher’s incident in which she didn’t pass along information to a police sergeant on duty about a warrant pickup from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
A predisciplinary hearing was held April 9 regarding the incident, but before any discipline could be imposed, she turned in her resignation April 10, said Police Chief Ken McCloud.
McCloud, who has been the township police chief just four weeks, said Darrington faced a one-day suspension without pay for the infraction. He said he was surprised at her resignation.
“I didn’t even realize she was even thinking about doing it,” he said.
Darrington said she missed seeing the information about the warrant, but also did not get a follow-up call from the county about it.
The county sent a second teletype eight hours later “advising that they were waiting on someone to pick up the subject,” according to a police disciplinary supplement report, signed by Sugarcreek Twp. Police Sgt. B. Deckard.
“I’m not saying I was a perfect dispatcher,” Darrington said. “Everybody needs training. But if there’s something I’m doing wrong, let me know now. I’m trying to improve.”
Darrington’s personnel file shows a number of write-ups over the years regarding the need to improve her dispatching and attitude toward her supervisors, and to get remedial training/counseling.
However, recent evaluations list her job performance as satisfactory and speak of improvements made in a number of areas.