Sheriff’s Office Captain terminated after investigation 

Sheriff Rick Ramsay terminated Capt. Penny Phelps on Thursday after hearing her rebuttal of an Internal Affairs investigation into her actions during a murder investigation.

Phelps made racially charged statements while giving directions and orders to a subordinate Deputy in November 2017.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay provided Phelps the due process she is afforded under the law — a hearing that was held Thursday — but Sheriff Ramsay decided he cannot and will not tolerate discrimination or any misconduct of any kind by Sheriff’s Office members, particularly misconduct that diminishes trust in the community.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay told Phelps in writing previous to Thursday that he can’t defend her actions given the impact her conduct has had on the community and agency.

“Understandably, this incident has caused great concern to me, the members of this agency and most importantly, the community that we serve,” Sheriff Ramsay said Thursday. “Today, I made the decision to withdraw Penny Phelps’ appointment to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. I cannot allow the actions of one individual to undermine the hard earned trust and confidence of the public and our members that the men and women of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office work so hard every day to build and maintain.”

Phelps was hired on Feb. 2, 2002. Her salary was $121,395.

Phelps had been the supervisor of the Special Operations Unit, which included Major Crimes Detectives, who investigate the most serious crimes in Monroe County.

School Safety Director Patty Thompson, a retired FBI Special Agent, is the new Special Operations Unit commanding officer.

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