A city firefighter has filed a discrimination complaint against her department, saying she was sexually harassed by the fire chief and four co-workers.
Elizabeth Cook, 19, alleges Fire Chief Rob Herndon downloaded and displayed pornographic images on the fire station's computer in her presence.Cook also claims, in her notarized grievance, Herndon's America Online "screen name" was used to e-mail child pornography out of the station.
Herndon said he wasn't prepared to discuss the allegations.
"This is all news to me," Herndon said Tuesday afternoon. "Until we get this sorted out, I don't think I can comment."
On Friday, Herndon had said he was aware of the department's e-mail accounts but that there was no pornography on the station's computer.
Also named in the grievance, filed Tuesday with the Anti-Dis-crimination Division of the Utah Industrial Commission, are Deputy Chief Brent Keyes, Capt. Harlow Pickett, Lt. Aaron Byington and firefighter Dave Hernandez.
City Manager Pearce Shelton said, "It's a matter that's under investigation at this point, so I don't have any comment."
Because of the child pornography allegations, Cook said, the FBI is looking into the matter.
Special Agent Dale Weiss, spokeswoman for the FBI's Ogden office, said she could neither confirm nor deny agents were investigating the department.
Cook said she plans to file a $10 million sexual harassment suit against the city.
According to John Cummings, one of Cook's two attorneys, anyone working for a company with more than 15 employees wishing to file sexual harassment lawsuits must first file a charge of discrimination with the state.
The Anti-Discrimination Division spends two to eight months reviewing a case before announcing whether there is merit to the claim, Cummings said.
In her grievance, Cook alleges that during February and March, the five co-workers downloaded and displayed pornography using several AOL accounts, one of which was provided by Cook herself.
"I'd be sitting in there and they'd just be pulling up pictures and playing sounds and cracking up all the time," Cook said.
"It made me sick," Cook said, recalling that at least twice she left the fire station in tears.
Cook said she confronted Herndon about it. On Feb. 13 he held a staff meeting to review the department's sexual-harassment policy.
"I had made it clear to them that I didn't feel comfortable with it," Cook said.
The station's firefighters, Cook said, all signed a copy of the policy, which included "electronically com-municated messages."
However, Herndon said Tuesday Cook never approached him about the pornography issue. He said the sexual harassment meeting wasn't brought about by Cook's complaints.
"It was something the city asked us to do," he said.