Madison Co. Sheriff David Woolfork Investigation, Commissioners Ask Sheriff to Step Down
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MADISON COUNTY, Tenn.- Madison County leaders including commissioners and Mayor Jimmy Harris all said they were disappointed after reviewing the investigative report on Sheriff David Woolfork, Monday. The report airs intimate details of sexual relationships and inappropriate work behavior between the sheriff and two female deputies. “Well, reading the report it was very sad to me,” said Steve Maroney who is the Madison County attorney. “It was sad to read the report as a citizen of Madison County my whole life, it was sad for me to read the report.” Commissioners approved a motion that asked Sheriff Woolfork to resign within seven days, after a closed door executive session that lasted more than 4 hours, Monday. In that session officials reviewed the findings from an independent investigation on the sheriff. Two investigative reports were done by Dickinson Wright Law firm out of Nashville. The firm was hired by the county for nearly $30,000 to look into the sexual harassment allegations made against the sheriff by Deputy Sharon Sangster and Lt. Lisa Baldarrama. According to the report, investigators found that Sheriff Woolfork’s actions towards Deputy Sangster and Lt. Baldarrama did in fact violate the county’s sexual harassment policy. The firm recommended that Sheriff Woolfork be fired. “We took about 30 minutes at the beginning of it for everybody to read it and it’s very precise, very direct and so it’s kind of a sad day for our county I think,” said Mayor Jimmy Harris of Madison County. “It says that it’s difficult to conceive of a situation where a supervisory employee would not be immediately terminated for this pattern of behavior towards multiple female employees’.” Mayor Harris said it could take a minimum of 90 days to remove Woolfork from office in official outster proceedings, if the sheriff does not submit a letter of resignation within seven days. If the sheriff is removed from office, Mayor Harris told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News that the commission will appoint someone to take over until the next election. Commissioners also approved additional sexual harassment training for sheriff’s department supervisors and made changes to the county’s sex discrimination policy. Commissioners voted to adopt another avenue for employees to file sexual harassment claims outside of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department. The policy now allows employees to file claims to the Mayor’s office, the county Human Resource Department or an appointed Madison County Commissioner. Officials immediately appointed commissioner Ann Harrell for the position. “We have to have trust and faith in our law enforcement officials and we feel like that trust has been broken and that we need to take some steps towards correcting that issue,” said Mayor Harris. County Commissioners also approved to allow county attorney Maroney to begin mediation with both Sangster and Baldarrama’s attorneys. Officials said a date for the mediation will be scheduled sometime after the sheriff’s order of protection appeal hearing set for December 11. Woolfork’s former mistress, Deputy Sharon Sangster was granted a year-long order of protection last month after an alleged domestic dispute with the sheriff at her Jackson home. Woolfork admitted to an affair with Sangster but denied assault allegations. He was ordered to surrender his weapons. Mayor Harris told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News that Madison County does have insurance coverage on claims ruled against the county. He said the county’s insurance company will only cover a portion of claims.
