Tennessee BC Suspended Over Sexting

Posted by: Curt Varone January 30, 2013 1 Comment

A battalion chief with the Bradley County Fire Department has received a 2 day suspension for allegedly sexting a female co-worker while on duty.

Battalion Chief Don Tankersley, who was promoted last December, will be prohibited from carrying a personal cellphone for a year and must undergo sexual harassment training. The incident allegedly involved a personal cellphone and not county property.

An HR investigation was initiated after a female employee complained that Chief Tankersley texted her pictures of his genitals. The investigation stopped short of ruling it sexual harassment because it only occurred once, but concluded it was clearly “inappropriate sexual conduct”.

More on the story.

Update: January 31, 2013

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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