Traverse City Record-Eagle

Region

July 17, 2010

Guard sues over transfer

Moore seeks damages

BY ALEX PIAZZA apiazza@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — A security guard contends a former Grand Traverse County sheriff falsely told courthouse officials the guard was tied to a drug investigation, and that information led to his involuntary job transfer.

Eddie Moore's lawsuit seeks at least $25,000 in damages from former Sheriff Scott Fewins, current Deputy Jason Otting and an unidentified person for their roles in his 2008 job transfer from DK Security, a Kentwood company contracted to provide security services at the Grand Traverse County courthouse.

The suit was filed in 13th Circuit Court and states that in July 2008, Fewins, Otting and another individual approached county courthouse officials to inform them that Moore was the subject of a federal criminal investigation.

Fewins then told courthouse officials Moore should not be allowed to continue his job as a security guard, according to the lawsuit.

"Ed got run out of Traverse City because of a personal vendetta by these three officers," said Grant W. Parsons, Moore's attorney. "This guy has never had so much as a parking ticket in his life, and these three officers who are off on some frolic and detour got him run out of Traverse City. They were acting outside the scope of their job."

Parsons said Moore had an unblemished work history, but the accusations prompted DK Security to remove him from his courthouse position and transfer him to a different region.

But Fewins and the other defendants deny their meeting with courthouse officials was "outside the scope of their official duties," wrote their attorney, county Prosecutor Alan Schneider, in a response to the lawsuit.

Officials contend Moore leaked the identity of undercover officers to a local drug dealer.

"(His) disclosure of the identity of undercover police officers to a known drug dealer breached his contractual duty to Grand Traverse County to provide security services for the Grand Traverse County Courthouse and the Robert P. Griffin Hall of Justice," Schneider wrote.

Fewins did not return calls for comment, while Sheriff Tom Bensley refused to discuss the lawsuit. Otting could not be reached for comment.

Parsons plans to file for discovery to gain more information on the alleged leak and to determine the drug dealer's identity.

Thirteenth Circuit Court judges Thomas G. Power and Philip E. Rodgers recused themselves from the case, court records show.

Meanwhile, Moore continues to work for DK Security as a capital complex supervisor in Lansing and is considered an employee in "good standing," said Sindia Narber, DK Security vice president of administration.

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