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Lewd e-mail inquiry leads to 4 firings

The state Department of Education workers sent "very offensive e-mails" to one another.

By LUCY MORGAN
Published April 26, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - What began as an invitation for three-way sex ended with the firing of four state education employees for sending lewd e-mails.

"This has been the most troubling thing to me since I've been commissioner," said state Education Commissioner John Winn late Monday. "Our agency deals with educating young people. This is certainly inappropriate."

The agency has a "zero tolerance policy" for inappropriate e-mail and will take action against any other employees found to have violated policies, Winn said.

Responding to a complaint, investigators examined e-mails sent between Jan. 14 and Feb. 14.

E-mails were received by about 25 DOE employees, and some were from employees at other state agencies. The investigation is continuing and others could be disciplined, Winn said.

"This is basically a case of people sending very offensive e-mails to one another on government computers," Winn added. "Some are long-term employees."

Winn said he doesn't want to become an electronic spy looking into employee e-mails, but is concerned how widespread the problem might be.

Employees who received the lewd e-mails have been advised to report improper e-mails to their supervisors, and advise anyone sending such e-mails that they are unwelcome and improper, Winn said.

James L. Gay, 45, an administrator in the DOE print shop; Dana Hendricks, 27, an operations and management consultant in the Office of Leadership Development; and Maryann Ford, 49, a research and training specialist at Leadership Development, were fired. A fourth employee, Rochelle Franklin, 36, a career service distribution agent in the Office of General Services, has been suspended and given 10 days to respond to a notice that she is being fired.

The four employees could not be reached for comment.

The investigation began when Leatha Anderson, a data processing specialist in the DOE telecommunications office complained that Gloria Johnson, an administrative secretary in the Office of Academic and Student Affairs, approached her several times to ask if she would participate in a threesome. She told Johnson not to contact her again, Anderson told investigators.

Investigators initially looked at Johnson's e-mails to see if the liaison had been suggested electronically. They discovered inappropriate e-mails to Johnson from Gay and Hendricks, according an report completed by DOE Investigator Dean Goodson.

A look at e-mails sent by Gay and Hendricks to others turned up more lewd e-mails.

The e-mails tracked by investigators included nude videos and pictures, profanity and suggestive remarks. One animation portrayed former President Bill Clinton at his desk with Monica Lewinsky.

Another, entitled "Whose Baby Daddy is This?" was a video of a woman dancing naked from the waist down.

One video portrayed Barney, the purple dinosaur known to millions of children, dancing to profane and violent gangsta rap.

Some of the e-mails came from employees at the Department of Transportation and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, an indication that the investigation could well spread to other state agencies.

[Last modified April 26, 2005, 01:04:06]