COVINGTON, La. (AP) — Covington
Police Chief Tim Lentz says a lieutenant who arrested two high-school football
referees in October has been suspended without pay and demoted to sergeant.
Lentz says Stephen Short must
also pass an evaluation before he can return to work after the 10-day
suspension, and cannot apply for promotion for 18 months.
Short has 15 days to appeal to
the Civil Service Board. The Times-Picayune reports (http://bit.ly/19y7PVQ )
that his attorney, Michael Fawer, was not immediately available for comment
Monday.
Short arrested the referees on
a charge of public intimidation after they asked him to help move fans away
from the field during the third quarter of a game between St. Paul's and
Mandeville high schools. Prosecutors refused to press charges.