Brown County Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger is facing a lawsuit from one of his deputies. Frank Lambros, of Amelia, is suing for back pay after an Administrative Law Judge ruled he had been wrongfully terminated.
Lambros was hired in April 2000 by former Sheriff Windell Crawford. In February 2001 Chief Deputy John Dunn requested Lambros take a new one year probation after having just returned from probation. Lambros informed him that he was not inclined to renegotiate his probation. In March 2001 Captain Barry Creighton asked Lambros to take over the jail because he was the only officer with corrections experience. Creighton asked him to also take a demotion and a reduction in pay, which he refused. Lambros took over the jail on April 1, 2001, without a reduction in pay. On June 27, 2001, Lambros was terminated.
After appealing the termination, Lambros was reinstated Dec. 27, 2001, because he had no pre-disciplinary hearing, received no notification and was denied due process. The ALJ ruled that he was entitled to back pay from June through December. Sheriff Wenninger appealed the decision, and the decision was upheld. On March 26, 2002, he was placed back on the payroll on administrative leave with pay and did not receive back pay despite a court order forcing the sheriff to provide the back pay. On Nov. 13, 2002 he returned to work at a reduced 11 rank and a 50 percent pay cut as a result of a pre-disciplinary hearing. After filing an appeal on his demotion, an Administrative Law Judge reduced his rank to Staff Sergeant. Sheriff Wenninger reinstated him as a sergeant in the jail. Lambros told Chief Deputy John Dunn of the discrepancy, but nothing was done. He was laid off on Jan. 1, 2005. On July 13, 2006, he was reinstated by an Administrative Law Judge at the rank of road corporal.
Lambros is now demanding full back pay with a difference $1.75 to $2.15 an hour increase and five percent interest plus all attorney fees and court costs.
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