Vernon Documents Claim IT Misuse, Fudged Hours Preceded Resignations

VERNON, CT — Three now-former employees are off the payroll in Vernon as part of the fallout from a multi-tiered investigation involving false time records, clandestine trips on company time, derogatory references to other employees using municipal equipment and an IT security breach.

Disciplinary records of the three were obtained by Patch Tuesday via a Freedom of Information request. Disciplinary documents are considered public record, separate from the rest of a personnel file, according to state law.

On Sept. 20, Robert Sigan, then the director of information and communication technology, was the subject of a disciplinary Loudermill Hearing, at which time accusations became formal for:

• Approval of false time records for then-systems analyst Jeremy Whetzel
• Failure to report false time records
• Failure in the performance of job duties
• Failure to follow contractual work hours for subordinates
• A lack of candor during the investigation

A separation agreement was signed on Sept. 29, documents show.

At an Aug. 8 Loudermill Hearing, documents show accusations against Whetzel included:

• Falsification of time records for the week ending July 7 and others
• Performing personal errands outside Vernon during the work day
• Lack of candor during an investigation
• Violating the town's drug-free workplace policy
• Working remotely without authorization
• Using a town-issued phone for inappropriate text messages

A July 14, Whetzel was accused in a hearing of using fake circumstances for a bereavement leave, documents show.

On Aug. 30, Whetzel signed a separation agreement. He was a union official when employed.

Documents show that, on Sept. 11, then-help desk coordinator Mary Lou Harney was issued a single-day suspension for not working proper hours that was served on Sept. 20, according to municipal documents. Documents further show that, on Oct. 20, a termination memo was sent to her based on an Loudermill Hearing nine days earlier that determined:

• She was insubordinate to a direct supervisor
• She took part in text messages involving a town-issued phone that made derogatory, ethnically charged comments about co-workers, participated in messages with sexual overtones to another town staffer, made comments referring to "violence" toward co-workers and a stated a "refusal" to perform work.

Harney has since agreed to "resign," records show.

The town issued a response Wednesday attributed to Town Administrator Michael Purcaro after handing over the documents the night before.

"The town of Vernon has high expectations of all employees for performance, professional conduct and customer service," it said. "The town conducted a thorough investigation, the results of which were released pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request."

Documents outline some of the accusations:

• At the end of June. Whetzel took a four-day bereavement leave for his "wife's sister," who did not exist, according to documents. The paid leave was for a friend's services, according to documents.
• On a day in July, Whetzel, on 45 minutes of company time, fulfilled stated dietary requirements by getting meatloaf at Bear's Smokehouse in South Windsor and then stopped at a cannabis dispensary while being paged by a school system official.
• In May and June, Whetzel skipped out on more than 21 hours over a 200-hour work period.
• On one occasion, after being verbally warned about hours, he walked into his office at Rockville High School, made an obscene gesture to security cameras and then left to get breakfast at a Dunkin' Donuts, according to documents.
• Whetzel is accused of trying to get into town accounts remotely after his municipal phone was taken after he was put on administrative leave.
• Whetzel made references to "playing hookey" from work and locking himself in offices to exaggerate how much time a IT task takes.
• Texts on a municipal phone were discovered between Whetzel and Harney that had sexual implications.
• Texts on a municipal phone were discovered between Whetzel and Harney calling a co-worker believed to be of Russian descent a "commie," calling a school staff members a racial slur and saying another employee of the town "hates whitey."
• Texts on the phone also reference a need to "slap" a co-worker of Harney's.
• He is accused of creating a gap in a town and school firewall to run a program on behalf of a relative. Vital records were left exposed, documents say.
• He is accused of taking an unauthorized trip to meet another co-worker at an area discount warehouse while on company time.

All accusations were referenced on official town documents.