Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan took swift action in the terminating a trainee who admitted to having sex while on duty. The woman has accused Deputy Sheriff Trainee Chris Majors of committing a non-consensual, sex act against her while on a call for service. That charge is being investigated, but Sheriff Morgan didn’t hesitate to take action on Majors’ employment.
“Majors betrayed the trust that the community and I placed in him,†said the sheriff in a press release issued yesterday. “He has brought disgrace to the Sheriff’s Office, to the community, and to our profession.â€
He added, “Good riddance. We will actively work with the victim in this case to ensure justice is served.â€
On Monday, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from an adult female that Majors had committed a non-consensual, sex act against her while on a call for service. An immediate criminal investigation was launched in cooperation with the State Attorney’s Office. Majors was questioned and admitted to engaging in a sexual act on duty, although he denied it was non-consensual. Multiple search warrants were conducted, to include Majors’ house. Physical evidence, including DNA, is still being evaluated and based upon the joint investigation Majors is potentially facing multiple, severe felony charges.
I spoke with Chief Deputy Eric Haines yesterday morning. He said that Majors was one of the corrections officers that had applied to be a deputy when the jail was transferred last October to the county. He was still in the probationary period and had only recently completed the field training program.
Having sex – consensual or not – on duty definitely violated his probation standards.
According to the press release, Chris Majors, age 44, was hired at the Escambia County Jail by Sheriff Ron McNesby in 2008. He worked at the jail for five years before he applied to become a law enforcement officer. Majors had no known disciplinary issues while working at the jail.
Sheriff Morgan confirmed what Chief Deputy Haines told me earlier in the day. “Majors was a probationary employee. That means there are fewer hoops to jump through to terminate this employee.
The Sheriff’s Office has reported the incident to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He is likely to lose his police standards regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation.
