The city of Waynesboro released a short statement Dec. 28 claiming that the appeal over the firing of former police officer Gary Jones has been overturned by default.
Jones, a major in the Waynesboro Police Department while also serving as the mayor of Grovetown, was fired in October over what Police Chief Willie Burley characterized as making false allegations that affected departmental morale.
According to Jones, he and Grovetown Clerk of Court Laura McManus discovered financial irregularities in Waynesboro Municipal Court.
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Jones says that his research showed that people were paying tickets online, and some of that money was unaccounted for. Jones says that he didn’t specifically accuse anyone of a crime because the issue could simply be a computer glitch.
Jones recommended that the police chief to turn the matter over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; instead, Burley terminated Jones’ employment.
There is a three step process to appeal a wrongful termination in Waynesboro. The first two steps for Jones were to write official letters to the police chief and City Manager Valerie Kirkland. According to Jones, he wrote both letters but did not receive a response within the time allotted by law.
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The third step in the process would’ve been for Jones to write a letter to the Waynesboro City Council appealing the termination. Jones said that on the advice of his attorney, he declined to send a letter to the council. Jones says that he does not want to go back and work for an employer that he is currently suing.
“I don’t want the job back if I have to work for (Burley). The only thing the council could do is make me the police chief, and I don’t want that job either,” Jones said.
However, Jones says the matter is far from over. He has instructed his legal counsel to file suit in Burke County Superior Court. The lawsuit, which will be filed in January 2022, cites the Whistleblowers Act and will request monetary damages.
“I am seeking what I would have made if I had finished my career there and also [punitive damages] for pain and embarrassment,” Jones said.
MORE: Grovetown City Council Talks Trash At Monday’s Meeting
In addition, Jones is seeking a public apology, as well as for the city to correct his record with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
Jones faced a similar situation in the past where he was terminated for pointing out perceived financial impropriety within government.
In 2015, as chief of police in Grovetown, Jones attempted to alert the Grovetown City Council of possible financial crimes being committed by then-city clerk Vicky Capetillo. The council fired him for pointing a finger at Capetillo.
Jones’ response was to run for mayor of Grovetown, and once he was in office, he requested an investigation from the FBI to look into the financial misdeeds and was eventually proved correct.
Capetillo pleaded guilty in federal court for stealing almost $900,000 and using the ill-gotten gains to fund a lifestyle that included treating her friends and family to cruises and trips to Disney World. She was sentenced to four and a half years in prison and ordered to make restitution.
The Waynesboro city manager was not available for comment on the legal proceedings being filed against the city.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
