National Guard member files complaint against sheriff's department

[DearAbby]

JULESBURG Co. - Carl Adams' father was once a sheriff's deputy in Florida. As a child he wanted to model himself after his father. At the age of 26 he was hired by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department. Suffice to say, he was excited.

Adams also takes pride in his service with the Army National Guard. He joined in 2005. When he started his job at the sheriff's department in January it seemed to be the best of both worlds. He would patrol the streets and roads of the county and once a month he would report for his duties and drills with the Guard. Those monthly drills, according to Adams, began to annoy Sheriff Delbert Ewoldt a few weeks after Adams started working.
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The month of May proved to be a pivotal time for Adams. It was during that month he was scheduled for a four-day drill. Being a new hire he was scheduled to work weekends. Adams says the department scheduled him to work that weekend, making no concessions for the drill. He decided to go to the drill.

"My choice was, whether I got the time off or not, I had to report to my unit. Everybody knows that if you're AWOL and don't go to your unit, you're going to jail, and then my job is in trouble anyway, so I had to go," said Adams.

When he returned, Adams says Undersheriff Randy Peck called him into his office and told him he was suspended without pay for failure to show up to work.

http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=72484

[Crazy Dave]

1. When I was in the Army...

...there were several individuals, one a lieutenant that got activated to full time duty for missing too many drills. Also, since it's been so long ago I'm dusting the memory banks, a person's military contract is legally binding under federal laws. He could even be considered FTR (failure to report) or AWOL (absent without leave) and the military can arrest you and lock you up for that if they choose to.

[DearAbby]

3. He had said that as well

his failure to show up for his monthly drills could land him in jail, then his job would be in dumpster, anyway. He chose to go to the monthly drill instead.

Good thing he filed a report with the justice department. I was surprised he resigned anyway.

[Toots]

2. In my state what the Sheriff's dept did is illegal

You have to allow National Guard to perform their duties and must keep their job position open for them upon return from their activation..Why a lot of people in this day and age will not hire Guardsmen. How could you keep a job open for someone that might be gone a year or more? It just doenst work that way. If it were two weeks a year and every other weekend it would be fine and that is how it was meant to be. Bush* has screwed the Guard something fierce.

[DearAbby]

4. In early June, Adams filed complaint

In early June, Adams filed complaint against the sheriff with the U.S. Department of Labor. He filled out what is known as a 1010 form. It is basically the first step in seeking a remedy for possible violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act or USERRA.

Federal law "prohibits discrimination against a person because of their service in the Armed Forces Reserve, the National Guard or other uniformed services.


http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=7248...