1 Hutchinson cop fired, 1 suspended
One Hutchinson police officer is fired and another is suspended without pay after separate incidents that happened earlier this year while the officers were off-duty.
Police Chief Dan Hatten says Officer Shelly Schmidt was a probationary officer and was told Friday she was fired. Hatten says earlier this year, Schmidt was convicted of trespassing. She was a passenger in a vehicle that went into a field and caused damage to a new crop.
Officer Jason Pederson was told Tuesday he'll be suspended without pay for 40 hours. Hatten says Pederson's penalty stems from a criminal case in which Pederson violated policy by exhibiting conduct unbecoming a police officer. He didn't give details of the case.
Working phone numbers for Pederson and Schmidt were unavailable and they could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
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Information from: KDUZ-AM, http://www.kduz.com
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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