By Joel Anderson, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
BROOKSVILLE — A corrections deputy at the Hernando County Jail has been dismissed after an internal investigation sustained allegations that he had been harassing a female deputy.
The Sheriff's Office sent a memo to Sgt. Guy Prevatt on Aug. 23, informing him of his dismissal. Prevatt had worked for the agency less than a month and was still on probation, which allows for his immediate termination.
The Sheriff's Office took over operations at the jail in late August, after the facility had been run for 20-plus years by a private company, and had hired Prevatt.
Prevatt, 36, responded in an e-mail to Sheriff Richard Nugent on Aug. 27, saying that he was resigning because he didn't have an adequate opportunity to defend himself against the allegations.
His attorney, Roxanne Dean of Citrus County, said the Sheriff's Office didn't give her a chance to reschedule an interview to tell Prevatt's version of events. Dean said Prevatt denies all of the allegations in the complaint.
"Termination is not the proper action for the Sheriff's Office to take," Dean said. "We were supposed to reschedule the interview and that was not done. And then we received the notice of termination."
According to an internal investigation report released this week, a female deputy alleged that Prevatt frequently came by her work area at the jail to discuss things unrelated to work and, on two separate occasions, touched her.
The deputy told her supervisors that she was frightened by his behavior, even resorting to closing the door to her work area so he wouldn't see her and stop in to speak with her.
"I'm scared of him," she said, according to the report.
During the course of the investigation, the agency also discovered that Prevatt had listed his address as a gutted mobile home in Bushnell. The Sheriff's Office said that was a violation of residency requirements, which mandate that deputies notify the agency of any change of address within two days.
Dean, Prevatt's attorney, said she still considers the investigation open since they haven't had a chance to conduct an interview with the Sheriff's Office. She also said they're considering a number of responses, including litigation.
Prevatt has worked in a number of correctional facilities since 1993, including in Lake, Sumter and Orange counties.
Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Joel Anderson can be reached at joelanderson@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6120.