Sheriff demotes accused lieutenant

Lt. Craig Baxley offered to step down after he was accused of harassing a female deputy.

By AUSTIN BOGUES
Published July 7, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - With the Hernando County Sheriff's Office investigating allegations that he harassed a female colleague, an officer in the agency offered to be demoted, according to a report released Friday.

Sheriff Richard Nugent took him up on the suggestion.

Nugent sustained the allegation against Lt. Craig Baxley but did not further punish him. Baxley, who was supervisor of the special operations division and supervised school resource officers, is now a road sergeant.

Documents show that on May 23, Baxley asked a female deputy questions deemed inappropriate while interviewing her for a position as a resource officer at the STAR alternative school in Brooksville. Baxley was accompanied by a sergeant during the interview.

The report states Baxley asked Deputy Deena Groves how she would react to sexual advances from students, questions he did not ask the three other job applicants, all of whom are male.

Baxley also reportedly told a sergeant that he had reservations about putting a female deputy into the position.

According to the investigation, Baxley told Groves that he could lose his job for asking the questions, but he went ahead. Using graphic terms, he asked her what she would do if one of the students told her that she had a nice body.

Groves began to cry during the interview, the report notes, but later she said that she did not believe Baxley's comments were a personal attack.

Instead, she said, they indicated to her his reluctance about putting a woman in the position. Groves stated she believes that she has been passed over before because she is a woman.

Baxley told investigators that the questions and remarks to Groves were based on his belief that she would be chosen for the job and that he wanted to know if she really wanted the position.

He added that the issue to him is not that Groves is a woman but that he knew her to be emotional.

It was unclear Friday whether Groves ever got the job.

Baxley volunteered to take the demotion during the investigation. The demotion involves a cut in salary and benefits, but a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman was unable to give specifics Friday.

Austin Bogues can be reached at abogues@sptimes.com or 352 754-6117.

[Last modified July 7, 2007, 14:03:46]