Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. — A state hearing examiner says a correctional officer who bullied a colleague who later committed suicide was properly fired.
The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission examiner cites an internal investigation following the officer’s death in which dozens of staffers were interviewed at Oakhill Correctional Institution.
The State Journal says examiner Stuart Levitan found Oakhill failed to investigate or properly respond to allegations of bullying and harassment among staff at the Fitchburg prison. Levitan found officers who transferred from a juvenile facility that was closed were targeted for harassment because their seniority gave them preferred status on scheduling and overtime.
A 52-year-old officer killed himself in March 2012 after what his wife, daughter and co-workers described as a pattern of bullying by fellow employees.