In a new Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint revealed on Tuesday, a female officer in the La Vergne Police Department is claiming sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, and discrimination based on retaliation, sex and disability.
She reported that her coworker, former Sgt. Lewis Powell, violated her at the police department under the guise of training. The charge states that he "used his position and authority as a supervisor to groom [her] for sexual activity."
The EEOC alleges Powell propositioned the female officer multiple times and was frequently met with resistance, persisting until he leveraged training and promotion to get her to agree to his requests.
Powell allegedly also recorded the two during another sexual encounter without the female officer's consent.
The female officer tried to end the relationship, but Powell threatened to die by suicide if she did, according to the charge. Their relationship lasted until November 2022.
The female officer "was a vulnerable individual with a disability and targeted for sexual predation," the EEOC states. She is claiming that when she expressed concern over her ability to pass a psychological examination in order to join the force, her future Supervisor Ty McGowan informed her of questions to expect and encouraged her to lie about her mental illnesses, which included anxiety, depression, drinking and self-mutilation.
After she was hired, symptoms of her mental conditions did manifest, and the EEOC charges that Powell advised her to lie about the state of her mental illness in order to stay employed.
The EEOC also said that McGowan, who described himself as "papa bear," would make sexual noises within earshot of other officers and supervisors whenever the female officer entered the room, and he begged her to "use" him for sex. The charge also includes that McGowan slapped the female officer's butt during shifts.
In La Vergne's 70-person department, there were approximately six female officers, and the female officer filing the EEOC was the only woman assigned to her shift, in an environment that she claims treated women as sexual objects and targets for verbal and physical harassment in a way that men never were.
Other officers included in the EEOC charge were Officer Holliday — said to have graphically described sex acts he performed on women or would like to perform on the female officer, and Officers Lugo and Schoberl — who, while on duty, allegedly compared exposed pictures of themselves within the view of the female officer.
The female officer was terminated on Jan. 4. after an investigation discovered she'd been involved in sexual activity while on duty. Five other officers were terminated and three more were suspended a few days later.
The female officer's charge alleges that other female officers were similarly engaged in sexual activity within the department, but that Investigator Patton and Chief Davis intentionally omitted these allegations in their report. None of the other women were fired.
The EEOC charge further claims that her superior officer, former Chief Burrel "Chip" Davis, promoted the police department's highly sexualized environment in multiple ways, including but not limited to having the female officer dance for him in his office, characterizing her clothes as "hot girl summer s—t," and asking in sexual overtones whether she preferred dark, white or milk chocolate.
Davis was fired Monday, after the completion of an independent investigation into his awareness and involvement in the highly publicized scandal within the department.
When the disturbing details of the scandal first broke in January, Mayor Jason Cole said he had full confidence in the police department's leadership team and their ability to lead.
However, Mayor Cole said this Monday:
“There aren’t words to describe the disappointment and frustration felt by myself and other city leaders.”
NewsChannel 5's Nick Beres requested an interview with the mayor, but Cole declined.
NewsChannel 5 obtained an exclusive copy of Davis's damaging independent investigative report.
The report shows the former chief was aware of the inappropriate sexual activity between officers, including superior officers and subordinates, as well as the shockingly widespread sharing within his Department of nude photos and videos of female officers.
Davis admittedly received some of these inappropriate photographs and videos.
He never voluntarily disclosed doing so.
Davis never reported this activity to the City's Human Resources Department, nor did he discipline any of the officers involved.
The final paragraph of the investigative report's conclusion reads:
"No one person is at fault for these events. In this matter, however, our investigation found that one person possessed a unique combination of information, authority, responsibility, and opportunity to change the course of these events. And, that Chief Davis did not."
