Dennis Jabczynski was not too surprised to learn Monday that his firing as a jailer by Davis County was upheld by the county's Career Service Council.
He was, however, a little miffed at how he learned about the ruling: through the news media."It's about what I expected," Jabczynski said of Monday's ruling by the council. "I haven't heard it officially from the county yet. But that's par for the county. I didn't think they would have much more class than that."
Jabczynski appealed his April firing to the council, a three-person civilian appeals board. The council held a daylong hearing June 28 and upheld his termination in its ruling Monday.
Jabczynski, an 11-year sheriff's department corrections veteran, admitted in the hearing that he slapped a prisoner across the face early in the morning of April 15.
He also admitted sending another corrections officer for a roll of tape, threatening to tape shut the mouth of the prisoner, who was described in the hearing as intoxicated and belligerent.
The prisoner, Daniel Hyme, Layton, was arrested on a DUI charge earlier that morning and was brought into the jail for processing. The slapping incident occurred in a holding cell where he was taken when jailers determined he was too intoxicated to go through the booking process.
Jabczynski admitted slapping Hyme three or four times to get his attention but said they were not hard hits. Witness stories varied on the number of slaps, with the arresting officer saying it was 11.
After an in-house investigation by the sheriff's office and an interview with chief deputy Kelly Sparks, Jabczynski was fired on April 26.
Two other corrections officers were also disciplined, one given a 30-day suspension and one suspended for three days.
The appeal board ruled Jabczynski violated the sheriff's department policies on prisoner handling and the use of force and his termination was proper.
The council also noted Hyme has filed a claim against the county for $125,000, a claim that could escalate to a lawsuit if it is not settled.
"I don't know what I'm going to do now," Jabczynski said. "It's totally blank at the moment." A lawsuit seeking reinstatement is a possibility, he said.
The state is currently reviewing Jabczynski's status and could revoke his law enforcement certification, which would preclude any future police work, and the incident is also being investigated by the state attorney general's office to determine if criminal charges are merited.