Caledonia Argus

Female deputy quits after filing suit

Posted: 1/6/04

Deputy Linda Coffield has resigned from the Houston County Sheriffís Department with a claim of discriminatory and retaliatory treatment.
Coffield, a 14-year employee of the department, made the announcement in a letter dated December 31 to county personnel director Tim Comstock and Sheriff Mike Lee.
In the letter, she said that she had received an e-mail from Comstock that contained additional allegations against her, despite the fact that she had been on a 12-week leave of absence.
ìYour e-mail set me back to a place where I both emotionally and physically can not return to work there,î she wrote in her resignation letter.
Comstock told The Argus on January 6 that the county board would likely accept the resignation and begin the process of hiring a replacement at its January 7 meeting. He did not comment further on the case.
Coffield, the only woman on the sheriffís department, has filed a six page civil complaint against the sheriffís department that claims she was singled out and treated unfairly as opposed to her male co-workers on numerous occasions.
County commissioners met in closed session on December 30 to discuss the complaint. Dyan Ebert, an attorney representing Houston County, said after the 45-minute closed session that the county denies any wrong doing.
More information on the complaint will appear in next weekís Argus.

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