CORUNA - Statements from city employees detail a former part-time Corunna police officer's inability to work his scheduled shifts.
Angelo Panos claims he was fired after spending nearly five years as a part-time officer. The city claims Panos didn't show up to work his scheduled shifts.
“While talking to Angelo, he asked if he was being fired and I said, ‘No, you are scheduled to work and you can't work the shifts.' He replied, ‘It sounds like I'm being fired.' I replied, ‘You call it what ever you want Angelo,'” Police Chief Kim Williams statement read.
City Manager Joe Sawyer released the statements from Williams, City Assessor Merilee Lawson, Officer Nick Chiros and Officer Dominic Johnson to The Argus-Press because he said they would be in the city council's information packet for its Sept. 2 meeting.
Sawyer said Williams' unsigned statement Aug. 14 came from the chief's handwritten notes. Lawson made her signed statement Aug. 27 because she was on vacation following the incident, Sawyer said.
Panos requested a witness for his discussion with Williams.
Lawson's statement detailed how Williams asked for Panos' badge and other department property at least six times during the discussion.
“Chief Williams was again sympathetic towards Mr. Panos personal issues and told him so, however, he repeated again that Mr. Panos needed to understand his position as far as needing to run the department,” Lawson said in her statement. “Chief Williams also explained to Mr. Panos that other officers within the department had been complaining to him for some time regarding Mr. Panos not carrying his work load. Mr. Panos stated that he had spoken to some of the guys and they didn't all say that.”
Both Williams' and Lawson's statements show another employee telling Panos he wasn't “carrying his weight with the department,” during the Aug. 14 conversation.
Part-time officer Dominic Johnson said Panos offered to give Johnson his shifts while qualifying for the department firearm requirements Aug. 12 at the Shiawassee County Dog and Gun Club.
“Angelo and I were talking about different shifts and he stated that if I wanted to take any of his shifts I could have them,” Johnson said in his statement. “Angelo stated that he didn't really want to work his shifts and if I wanted to take them I could.”
Dean Yeotis, Panos' attorney, said he plans to file a civil lawsuit in Shiawassee County Circuit Court against the city.
“Why would you have a problem with that unless you're trying to get rid of somebody,” Yeotis said of Panos having other officers cover his shifts. “Why all the sudden is it such a big issue other than the fact that this is your big opportunity to get rid of Angelo Panos?”
Yeotis said Panos filed his first lawsuit in 2005 because of backlash Panos received from city officials when he arrested Sawyer for drunk driving.
The city's insurance company paid Panos $25,000 to settle a civil lawsuit last year in which Panos claimed he was passed up for a full-time position in 2005. Sawyer previously said it was a poor decision by the insurance company and didn't cost Corunna anything.
In Panos' lawsuit, he claimed the city threatened his employment multiple times.
Panos had no shifts scheduled for a six-week period after arresting Sawyer. Sawyer previously said it was because the former police chief overspent his budget.
Panos also claimed the city tried to have him charged with racial discrimination in October 2006.
However, Sawyer said it was a case investigated by the Shiawassee County Sheriff's Department and the prosecutor's office made the decision not to press charges.
A letter of reprimand for conduct unbecoming an officer from Williams went in Panos' personnel file. City officials removed the two-year letter from Panos' personnel file, Sawyer said. The copy provided to The Argus-Press was from the city's legal file from Panos' lawsuit, Sawyer said.
Sawyer said the city is tired of having its name dragged through the mud.
“It's been very frustrating,” Sawyer said of the ongoing conflict between the city and Panos. “There's no gray areas here. Nobody's picking on the guy. We're tired of sitting by silently when we're accused of these things that are completely false.”
- Contact Dominic Adams at 725-5136 extension 239 or by e-mail at dadamsarguspress@gmail.com.
rw wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:46 PM:
" I have been following the small town antics in Corunna for quite some time now. I have also been following the joint effort to smear Officer Angelo Panos reputation by making comments both direct and implied about his character. I can tell that over the past twenty-five years I have worked for two different companies that have done business with Panos and or his family. If there is one thing that is a constant in that family is thier honesty and respect for the law and those that enforce it. His family came from very humble beginnings in Greece and became very successful by extremely hard work and complete honesty in their business dealings. I know that I could give Officer Panos my life savings in cash to hold on to and 50 years later it would still there waiting for me. I think the reason that Officer Panos is disliked by some is that he does not play the political games, and does not bend the rules just to kiss up to soembody. In regards to a previous blog in which a person warned people about having their children around Officer Panos, That was obviously written by some dirtbag low life. I have had my children around him and know that they are perfectly safe, and well protected. "
great cop wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:26 AM:
" Bojangle is spreading false accusations about officer Panos about sexual harassement! I dine at that resteraunt on a frequesnt basis because its the best around...food and service. I know how he is with his employees. Him and his female waitresses joke around alot and have fun at work. Its NOT sexual harassement and those women do not feel that way! I was just there for lunch on Sunday and talked to them about all this....EVERY waitress there defended him, so go spread false rumors about someone else! He was a valuable police officer here in Corunna and i appreciate his attitude and hard work. He kept his word and did his job the way every cop should do theirs! "
sandy wrote on Sep 2, 2008 5:33 AM:
" This whole thing should not be tried in Shiaw, county. The police are out to hang him, and I find in our county it is not what you know, it's who you know. He will not get a fair trial in this county. And as far as Cheiff Tanner goes, The man is just doing his job. Yes it is true we have some pretty shaddy police officer's in our county, but Tanner is not one of them. I have said for years that The county police Department needs to be investigated, to get rid of the corupt one's. Year after year the county police department get worse, When Dean Porter was Sheirff we did not have all of these problems, to bad he moved out of state. You can not get a fair trial in Shiaw, County. And who ever is repersenting you in court, well most of them are in the back pocket's of the police department to. With the exception of James Smith. He will protect you at all time's. He is a wonderful man. If you want justice in Shiaw county. get James Smith in Durand. He is a fair man. Other then that, I do not trust our justice system as far as I could throw them and thats not very far. "
Dee wrote on Sep 2, 2008 12:07 AM:
" I agree that this situation needs to be kept in the courts. However, being advised on the mans conduct and his NON-interest in wanting to work the posted schedule, Id say he was looking for trouble. And sounds to me like he was trying to set this all up into a law suit. Probably thought why knock himself out for the job, when in fact he could supposedly pull his complaining and other b.s. knowing that it wasnt going to be tolerated. There are people like that you know! "
fyi wrote on Sep 1, 2008 11:06 PM:
" to "bojangle" for your information my grandmother lives on the corner of shiawassee and cherry. officer panos was there various times due to an investigation for someone taking advantage of her assets. its a long story and none of your business but it was a fairly long investigation but officer panos kept to his word and seen it through and got everything back for my grandmother. he is a great man and very good police officer. any cop that sees things through is great in my book.and yes if he drove by on duty and she was outside he would say hello but never got out of his car after that and even if he did who cares. i like seeing police officers interacting with the citizens and they should.personally i like knowing who is out there keeping my streets safe other then just by watching them drive around.as for newport every time i have been in there its always been a pleasant experience. if there was anything like "sexual harassment" going on im sure someone would have done something about it. not everyone would just let that go and not say anything. "
bojangle wrote on Aug 31, 2008 7:55 PM:
" I used to work for angelo at new port resturant. I witnessed several accounts of sexual harrassment and no one said anything I think he is a worthless excuse of a police officer many time while living on cherry street in corunna I witnessed him while on duty stopping to a house on the corner or cherry and shiawassee and sitting on the porch talking for quite a while. He is useless and shouldnt be working. But as for the issue of arrested the mayor. Oh well thats what you get when you drive drunk no matter who you are. And I suppose the mayor got off as they usually do. "
Fed up resident wrote on Aug 31, 2008 4:08 PM:
" The city has had it out for this officer, from what I can tell, ever since he arrested Joe Sawyer. First of all, Mr. Sawyer SHOULD have been arrested and should have lost his position with the city. Our chief of police talks down to the average citizen ( I personally experienced this when filing a complaint a few years ago) so I can imagine how he talks to an officer who arrested someone from the "good ol' boys club". I just read in todays argus, Mr. Sawyer actually called Mr. Panos, to a reporter, an
a-s-s (funny that I cant just write that word out here, yet they printed it in the paper) Well, isnt that a fine way for our city manager to talk in the paper? Officer Panos always seemed like a nice man who did a good job in our city. I dont personally know any of the poeple mentioned, but it doesnt take a genius to see whats going on in the city of Corunna. Everyone has times in life when theyre unable to work. Sounds to me like he was getting his shifts covered and trying to handle it properly. What more do they want from him? The city should be sad to see Officer Panos go and should get rid of Sawyer. "
irratated wrote on Aug 31, 2008 9:04 AM:
" This is ridiculous! We all KNOW that this IS still a payback and the shifts that were actully scheduled for Panos was the shifts they KNEW he couldnt work due to other obligations! After being turned down for full time these other "obligations" were necessary and they knew that...thats why they scheduled those particular shifts that he was willing to give up! They had been trying to get rid of him and in the end they succeeded....sad. Seems funny to me the other officers supposedly said he wasnt carrying his weight too since he was one of the hardest working men on the force and when they dined in his resteraunt they were NOT saying that then!!! "
bill wrote on Aug 31, 2008 7:13 AM:
" I see that the Argus wishes to take legal matters into their own hands and try this poor guy in their "cheap tabloid paper". It is disgusting !! Enough already! Don't you have more intellignet things to do than "head hunt" the local police officers? These guys put their lives on the line for all of us every day, so why vent your personal vandetta against them in the paper? We are canceling our recent subscription to the Argus, it is so disgusting over the past few months and it just goes on and on. I urge all citizens that support their police officers and departments to trash their Arugs subscriptions. You have painted a picture of law enforcement in Shiawassee County as being corrupt and untrustworthy. Disgusting!! "
A Corunna TAX Payer wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:35 PM:
" Why is this being attempted to be tried in the press instead of a court of law! The City employees should know better! Just unprofessional behavior period. The City council better wake up before this cost some big dollars. "
judy johns wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:35 PM:
" get the sheriiff and now go after the corunna police. dump the argus press. "
