Kill threats among details in testimony at wrongful termination hearing
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JACKSON, Tenn. — Allegations of a threat to kill were a central focus in a wrongful termination hearing Wednesday for a former Madison County sheriff’s deputy. The Civil Service Commission, made of three local lawyers, listened to hours of witness testimony surrounding Madison County Sheriff John Mehr’s decision to terminate Lt. Sylvia Anderson in September 2014. Mehr said the former supervisor at the Madison County Jail was terminated because of “gross misconduct.” Witness testimony alleged Anderson made remarks to a shift sergeant about inmate Tobias Blackwell, claiming she called Blackwell a monkey and even ordered a hit on the inmate. “Tobias had said some things to her and she had responded, and she went to go get some paper and cover his window with. When she was doing that, she told Wade to ‘take care of him,'” current inmate Austin Drummond testified. Blackwell admits he and Anderson did not get along. During testimony, he admits the night of the alleged incident he “called her everything under the sun.” Other witnesses testified he yelled that Anderson was “less than a woman,” which some say is the comment that caused Anderson to make threats at Blackwell. These are all claims she denied when she took the stand. “I didn’t have to deal with him. When I came on the 5 to 1 shift, Capt. Rudder made a statement to me for me not to deal with the inmates,” she said. During testimony, Anderson revealed she feels the witnesses are conspiring against her. She claims Blackwell made death threats toward her. “He told me he was going to kill me. He said he would get out and he knew where I was at. He knew all about me, where I live, and said he would get me,” she said. The commission is reviewing whether Mehr acted within his rights in terminating Anderson.
