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Prison board fires guard

1 min read

Despite a request by a steward from the Washington County Corrections Officers’ Union not to terminate a jail guard’s employment, the Washington County prison board on Wednesday fired the worker.

Ashley Miller had previously been suspended without pay, but Warden John Temas asked the board for its approval to terminate her employment.

Karen Goetz, steward for Teamsters Union Local 205, asked members of the prison board not to do so, saying she was taking into account the taxpayers and citizens of Washington County.

“This, in the long run, usually costs the county a lot in back pay,” Goetz said.

The prison board closed its session to the public to discuss a personnel matter, then reconvened a short time later and voted unanimously on the termination of Miller, who was hired by the county Jan. 12, 2014.

Temas said after the meeting that he could not discuss the circumstances surrounding Miller’s firing.

Scott Fergus, Washington County director of administration, said Teamsters Union Local 205 had filed a grievance on Miller’s behalf but that the filing is not a public record.

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