Scott Jones terminated from fire department, will receive back pay
Jun. 8—Scott Jones' employment with the Logansport Fire Department was terminated Wednesday, ending a five-year period of uncertainty following a 2018 arrest.
The Board of Public Works and Safety determined Jones will receive back pay from the Public Employees' Retirement Fund and health insurance, after approval, up until June 7. Logansport Mayor Chris Martin made the decision on the grounds of Jones' Class A misdemeanor in interference in reporting a crime and for his inability to complete necessary requirements to be reinstated.
"This is never easy to do, especially talking about public safety officials," Martin said.
Jones, a former captain, was placed on paid leave in January 2018 after accusations of battering his wife, who is now his ex-wife, and faced charges of bodily injury, domestic battery resulting in bodily injury and interference with the reporting of a crime. He was then placed on unpaid leave in February 2018.
In 2021, he was found not guilty for the first two charges, but faced one month in the Cass County Jail and 11 months on probation for the latter charge. Jones appeared before the board in February of 2023 asking to be reinstated into the fire department, before appearing again on Wednesday.
"Reinstate me to fire me or reinstate me with the parameters spelled out of what it takes to be active duty," Jones said. "I'll make my choice from their answers [to] questions in regards to my back pay, my pension... and then we can move on."
In February, Logansport Fire Department Chief Rick Bair responded that Jones would need to complete physical and medical evaluations, as well as pass a drug screening, receive a first responder certification and go through Public Safety Medical Services in Indianapolis.
However, at the time of the Wednesday hearing, Jones had failed to complete the requirements, Deputy Jacob Pomasl said. On May 10, Bair requested from the Board of Works that Jones' department retention status be terminated after Jones failed to pass the tests for the fourth time.
During the hearing, it was stated Jones was unable to attend multiple tests after various medical complications and procedures, such as respiratory issues caused by COVID-19. Jones also stated he was told about these tests, but that it was not policy because it had not been disseminated to all employees. He said Bair also did not mention these tests when Jones told him he was found not guilty.
"[Bair] leaned back in his chair, and said... 'when do you want to come back to work, Scott?,'" Jones said. "There was no fit for duty discussed, but he said 'I don't know what the powers to be up on the hill will want to decide, and sure enough, that's where it went."
In his closing statement to the board, City Attorney Kelly Leeman discussed Jones' unclear intentions in regards to being reinstated. He said Jones sounded like he wanted to retire, while other times he wanted to be reinstated. In response, Leeman said that because of Jones not completing the steps required to return to the department, his reinstation is no longer to be considered.
"I think that is a door we should shut at this point because the Chief has gone through this four times now of getting appointments," Leeman said.
In Jones' defense, attorney Kristina Lynn's closing statement said that it took much longer to resolve Jones' criminal charges because of Jones' request for a jury trial and that Jones did not receive a public hearing from the board until Wednesday. Jones also expressed frustration during the hearing with the board's response time to his case, saying the board needed to "finish the business."
In response to his termination, Jones said he appreciated the board's time and that he never intended this to go as far.
