LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A local police department that was already dealing with accusations of sexual harassment in the workplace got a bombshell announcement when its new interim chief admitted to having an extramarital affair.
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Lawrenceville’s interim police chief, Myron Walker, spoke to reporters Thursday.
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Walker stood with his wife by his side and some of the department’s top brass as he admitted to the affair seven years ago. He admitted that the affair went on while he worked at the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office and while he was on the job. Reports said he used office equipment during the affair and was demoted because of it.
This all comes after the previous police chief, Tim Wallis, agreed to step down from his post following a sexual harassment investigation that just concluded just a few weeks ago.
Walker said he came forward because he got word that his extramarital affair would become public in a media report.
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“I can’t tell you how sorry I am for the intense pain this story has caused my wife and daughters,” Walker said. “But I speak today so the truth can be told and I ask the community for forbearance as we weather the storm.”
Former Chief Wallis and several other officers were punished after an investigation in October revealed “Internal sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and improper use of city property complaints in the Lawrenceville Police Department.”
As a result of the investigation, Wallis stepped down, the assistant police chief received documented verbal counseling and the entire police department and the city staff had to undergo mandatory, in-person training.
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