By Matt Elofson
A veteran Dothan police officer has been terminated exactly a week after receiving her second suspension this year from the department.
Sonya Edwards confirmed in an emailed statement that her client, RaeMonica Carney, was terminated from serving as a police officer with the Dothan Police Department.
Dothan Police Chief Greg Benton confirmed Carney was terminated as of 10:45 Monday morning.
Benton declined to give a specific reason for the termination, but did say Carney violated personnel rules and regulations in the category of intolerable offenses.
Dothan Police Maj. Steve Parrish, who responded to requests for information last Monday from the Eagle, initially confirmed the suspension. He said as of last week the department had placed her on paid administrative leave.
Parrish also said the Professional Services unit, also known as internal affairs, was investigating as part of the suspension.
Edwards said the Dothan Police Department has accused her client of “gross insubordination.”
In the statement from Edwards she called her client an off-duty victim of a minor domestic incident.
Parrish also said in an email that an internal affairs investigation stemmed from an incident at Carney’s residence that happened Monday morning. He could not comment on the incident at Carney’s home.
“The evidence will show that the department not only failed to properly investigate the incident on Corporal Carney’s behalf as a citizen, but quickly leaked select details of the incident and investigation to the press in an apparent attempt to disparage her character,” Edwards said in the statement. “We believe Corporal Carney is being railroaded and that the department’s true motive is retaliation based on Corporal Carney’s pending discrimination, harassment, and constitutional claims.”
Carney plans to appeal the termination to the Dothan City Personnel Board. Carney served as an officer with the Dothan Police Department for 13 years, including just over two years as a corporal.
Chief Gregory Benton suspended Carney earlier this year for 10 days for a violation of the department’s social media policy for conduct which reflected unfavorably on the City of Dothan as her employer.
That suspension stemmed from controversial posts she made on Facebook.
As a result of that earlier suspension, which happened in March, Benton reassigned her duties as an officer to work the front desk in the main lobby of the Dothan Police Department.
Carney appealed the earlier suspension in April. In May, the Dothan City Personnel Board held an appeal hearing and a month later they upheld Carney’s suspension.
Carney appealed that decision to the circuit court of Houston County where another hearing was held in front of Circuit Court Judge Butch Binford. That court’s decision remains pending.
The Facebook posts that led to Carney’s earlier suspension concerned Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer who is believed to have killed two officers and two others before being pursued to a California cabin where an exchange of gunfire occurred. A fire erupted in the cabin and Dorner died in the fire.
Carney made several posts on her personal Facebook page about Dorner and the law enforcement action that led to his death.
Carney previously served as the department’s Community Watch coordinator, a position she was removed from after the department received complaints about the Facebook posts.
Carney said during the personnel board hearing that her comments should not have been interpreted as support for Dorner’s actions.
