A sexual assault scandal at the La Vergne Police Department in Tennessee led to the firing of five police officers and the suspension of three more. In a new federal lawsuit against the department, one of the police officers, Maegan Hall, says that she was “groomed for sexual exploitation.”
Before the internal investigation into Maegan Hall’s claims began this week, the eight officers in question were given punishments.
Maegan Hall, who is 24 years old, was the only woman police officer who was fired because of the sex scandal at the Tennessee La Vergne Police Department.
She was fired in January of this year, and an internal investigation found that Maegan Hall and other male officers indulged in sexual activities while at the office and then lied about it.
Patrick Magliocco, Larry Holladay, and Gavin Schoeberl, three more officers, were also suspended for their roles in the sex scandal at the police department.
The lawsuit says that Powell, Magliocco, Holladay, Shields, and Lugo-Perez have all now admitted to having sexual relations with Maegan Hall.
Maegan Hall has also said that he did sexual things with the five officers listed above, as well as with officer McGowan.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday (February 27), says that Maegan Hall was sexually harassed by Powell, McGowan, and Davis. It also says that she was being groomed for “sexual exploitation” when she was being harassed in this way.
Maegan Hall felt trapped in the role assigned to her at the City of La Vergne Police Department and, in an attempt to escape, she nearly killed herself,
the lawsuit reads.
Then, the City blamed her for everything. This lawsuit seeks justice for Maegan Hall.
It also says that Maegan Hall was often harassed at work and that the harassment was “filled with sexual hints and sexually explicit behavior.”
This month, La Vergne Police Chief Burrel “Chip” Davis was also fired after it was found that he “knew about the sexual misconduct in his department but never reported or punished any of the officers involved.”
Maegan wasn’t looked at as a rookie cop to be trained and promoted. She was looked at like a piece of meat to be sexualized and exploited,
said civil rights attorney Wesley Clark with Brazil Clark PLLC.
There are going to be those who say they are consenting adults, and she is trying to place the blame elsewhere. It is easy to think that when you don’t know the whole story,
he added.
When Sgt. Powell wanted sex, he refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. He continued demanding sex, saying things like ‘We’ll do it tomorrow,’ or ‘I’ve done so much for you, I’ve helped you,’ and ‘I’ve done so much for you in your personal life’,
the lawsuit stated.
It continues:
The sexually coercive environment on the second shift at the La Vergne Police Department triggered increasingly severe symptoms of mental illness in Ms. Hall.
Ms. Hall is entitled to an award of punitive damages against defendants Powell, McGowan, and Davis in an amount to be determined by a jury for the acts committed with malice or reckless disregard described in this complaint.
A source is said to have reached out to the La Vergne Police Department, the Rutherford County District Attorney, and Interim Police Chief Brent Hatcher for their comment.
If any of the issues mentioned in this article have affected you and you want to talk to someone in private, you can call The Survivor’s Trust for free at 08088 010 818 or visit their website at thesurvivorstrust.org.
