State’s tardiness makes $185 in backpay mushroom to $12,000
The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. A state trooper whose one-day suspension was overturned is going to be paid about 12-thousand dollars by the state.
This is because the state was tardy in reimbursing him the $185 in salary he was originally due.
A Davidson County chancellor issued a ruling that ordered the payment to Sergeant James Chaney.
The case dates to 2004, when the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspended Chaney for shooting out the rear tires of a car chased by U-S marshals. When Chaney appealed the suspension, an administrative law judge ruled that the suspension was improper and Chaney should be reimbursed one day’s pay, or $185.
The state had 30 days to make the payment and after that faced a penalty of $185 for each day it was late in reimbursing Chaney.
A spokesman for the state Safety Department, which oversees the T-H-P, said the problem was unusual but steps are being taken to make sure it isn’t repeated.