By C1 Staff
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Former CO Jaclynn Rodriguez will receive disability benefits indefinitely unless she is offered her job back.
According to MLive, Rodriguez went on leave after being choked by inmate Willie Lee-Wilson Williams, but was terminated by the sheriff’s department, who claimed that she had not successfully completed her probationary period.
Her union, The Kent County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, backed her and demanded an arbitrator to decide of Rodriguez had completed her probation period prior to her firing. The county filed a suit to stop any arbitration, contending that Rodriguez had not completed an active year of employment before taking medical leave.
That lawsuit has been dismissed after the county pension board determined that Rodriguez is eligible for duty disability pension under the county’s pension plan.
Rodriguez had applied for the pension and was approved for the benefit, which continues until she is able to return to work in the same capacity as when she was disabled.
It’s unclear if the pension is 100 percent of Rodriguez’s former wage, and it could be reduced if she secures other employment.