By Ray King

The first ever grievance hearing conducted by the Jefferson County Quorum Court Tuesday resulted in a recommendation that a former sheriff’s deputy who was fired in January get his job back.

Joseph O’Neal, who was an 11-year veteran of the department and until January had been assigned to the Tri-County Drug Task Force filed a grievance alleging that the sheriff’s office violated its own policies by bypassing both O’Neal’s immediate supervisor and the division commander, breaking the chain of command.

Committee Chairman Danny Holcomb said the sheriff’s office violated O’Neal’s due process rights and after the committee’s ruling, O’Neal was asked how he felt.

In his letter asking for the hearing, O’Neal said he obtained a copy of the investigative file that led to his termination and it contained what he described as “discrepancies and untruthful events” relating to a meeting he had with Chief Deputy John Hughes, Maj. Gary McClain and others On Jan. 13.

Responding to a question from Justice of the Peace Roy Agee, O’Neal said he had never been disciplined before this incident.

Former Chief Deputy Stanley James, who retired last year testified for O’Neal and said this after the hearing.

James said different standards applied to certain members of the department, mentioning Sgt. Courtney Kelly, who James alleged was paid for working part-time at the same time he was working for the sheriff’s office and former jail administrator Joseph Gorman who was accused of allowing a nurse at the jail to work there at the same time she was working for Jefferson Comprehensive Care.