Opinion ID: 2977732
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Steven Fowler

Text: Fowler is one of four black officers identified in the press release as the target of discriminatory disciplinary action. Two complaints led to the disciplinary actions taken against Fowler–the first by Prince Gray arising out of Fowler’s sexual relationship with Gray’s wife, Wendy Gray, and the second by Zelma Ferguson arising out of Fowler’s activities in the Unizan Bank Building. First, Prince Gray filed a personnel complaint against Fowler alleging that Fowler was having a sexual relationship with Wendy Gray and abusing his position as an officer to have Prince arrested. An IA investigation concluded that Prince had been arrested but that Fowler was not involved. 3 Miller v. City of Canton No. 08-3163 However, IA found that disciplinary charges should be sustained because of Fowler’s inappropriate relationship with Wendy. Fowler met Wendy when she filed a police report against Prince for domestic violence, and he subsequently engaged in a personal relationship with her including having sex with her on two occasions. By taking advantage of a vulnerable complainant, Fowler was found to have breached the trust placed in him as an officer, in violation of ethical standards and the rule on deportment. Moreover, Fowler lied to investigators about his relationship with Wendy, in violation of the rule on truthfulness. After a hearing, Hunt suspended Fowler without pay for fifteen days beginning on April 19, 2004 and ending on May 14, 2004. However, on March 14, 2006, Hunt reconsidered his decision, dismissed the charges, and ordered the City to make Fowler whole by paying the fifteen days’ pay previously withheld. Second, Zelma Ferguson, the administrator of a firm based in the Unizan Bank Building, complained that Fowler caused chaos in the building leading to a two-hour loss of productivity at the firm. Fowler, dressed in his police uniform, told employees on various floors of the building that he worked private security at night and wanted to see the floor plan during daytime hours and inquired about the building’s alarm system and number of employees. Building employees began to suspect that Fowler was not in fact a police officer and became afraid, causing chaos that lasted several hours. Fowler admitted that he was inside the Unizan Bank Building, but he claimed that he had had a near-miss accident with a woman, Susan Crowther, earlier that day and entered the building in order to give her a warning. An IA investigation determined that Fowler had no legitimate reason to be in the building, but rather made up the story in order to follow Crowther and ask her out on a date. While on patrol 4 Miller v. City of Canton No. 08-3163 Fowler noticed Crowther in her vehicle and followed her until she parked near the Unizan Bank Building. He then used the Department’s Law Enforcement Assembly Data Service (“LEADS”) system to run Crowther’s license plate and determine her name and address. Fowler lied to gain entry into the Unizan Bank Building, where he located Crowther in her office and gave her his name and phone number. He also told Crowther that he knew her name and where she lived. Crowther did not give Fowler her number, but he later called her and left a message on her answering machine. IA determined that Fowler’s conduct in and after the Unizan Bank incident violated eight department rules, including lying repeatedly to investigators about the incident. Further, Fowler likely violated Ohio law by using the LEADS database for personal, rather than law enforcement, purposes and by lying under oath at the arbitration. McKimm recommended that Fowler be terminated from the Department and, after a hearing, Hunt agreed. Fowler’s termination was effective May 15, 2004. However, on February 18, 2005, an arbitrator reduced the penalty to a disciplinary suspension without pay, due to Fowler’s previously blemish-free record and the opinion of Fowler’s captain that he was a “good officer” who should not be terminated. Consequently, the disciplinary suspension without pay lasted approximately nine months. Also as a result of the Unizan Bank incident, Canton City Prosecutor Frank G. Forchione referred the matter to an independent prosecutor to determine if criminal charges were warranted. Forchione received the case from the City in February 2005 and submitted the case to Keith W. Warstler, Jr., of the Massillon Law Department, in March 2005. Warstler presented the case to the Stark County Grand Jury, which indicted Fowler on one count of Unauthorized Use of 5 Miller v. City of Canton No. 08-3163 Telecommunications Equipment in violation of Ohio Rev. Code § 2913.04.1 On April 28, 2004, Fowler filed a complaint with the OCRC and EEOC alleging that the City suspended and terminated him because of his race. The OCRC found that Fowler had not identified any white officers who were charged with violations similar to those for which Fowler was disciplined. Accordingly, the OCRC found that the allegation was not supported by the evidence. On May 15, 2006, the EEOC issued Fowler a right to sue letter.