View full sizeFILE - A Sabre brand self defense stun gun (right) and Taser brand C2 taser are seen Monday, Aug. 29, 2011 at Gold Mine Pawn Shop in Daphne, Ala. (Press-Register, Bill Starling)EVERGREEN, Alabama -- Officials placed a veteran Evergreen police officer on paid leave Thursday as the mayor issued a recommendation he be fired, citing "complaints of unprofessional and harassing conduct."
Evergreen City Attorney Richard Hartley, speaking on behalf of Mayor Pete Wolff III, said Officer Sean Klaetsch was placed on administrative leave following complaints from "several citizens."
Klaetsch was identified by Phyllis Powell as the officer involved Aug. 19 when Powell's 33-year-old daughter was tased while restrained in a chair.
Video images that Powell said were provided to her by the Conecuh County Sheriff’s Office were posted online this week. Powell referred the Press-Register to her social media page, where two segments of the video were posted. The recordings do not include images of tasing, but show a female officer taking Crystal Skinner Coleman — the sister of Councilman John Skinner — from a cell in the jail. Video of the officer and two unidentified women shows the three inside the jail smiling, gesturing and laughing. Powell said the video followed the tasing incident.
Attempts to contact Klaetsch were unsuccessful Thursday.
Hartley said Klaetsch would remain on leave until the council held a hearing on the mayor’s recommendation. The attorney said Klaetsch has until Monday to request a hearing to appeal the recommendation, and should he exercise that right, the hearing would be set for Sept. 23. If he does not ask for a hearing, the council can vote at its next meeting.
Powell said Thursday she was thankful for officials’ attention to the incident, and glad the investigation is under way.