Firefighter’s Facebook post ‘racist in nature’

UPDATE @ 11:20 p.m.: A Jefferson Twp. official said he found the comments now former Firefighter Jeffrey Jones posted to Facebook to be "clearly racist in nature."

The administrator Len Roberts, in a Feb. 23 letter to Jones, described a television commercial for SVG Motors that included Derrick Foward, Dayton Unit NAACP president. In it, the dealership’s owner shows up at the door carrying two Cassano’s pizzas and promotes a truck deal.

“In the closing scene the dealership owner suggests having pizza and watching the Academy Awards,” Roberts wrote. In the commercial, Foward responds, “We are not watching that tonight.”

Roberts wrote that Jones posted, in part, that since the NAACP, Cassano’s and SVG Motors “are boycotting the Oscars, I guess my union brothers and sisters will boycott them and make it very loud and clear Cassano’s will never be bought at our meetings again.”

Roberts also found that Jones wrote: “when you … surround yourself with people who throw the race card all the time or support Black Lives Matter, that’s a problem!”

Roberts also concluded that he found Jones guilty of “reflecting discredit upon the township service” and for “conduct unbecoming all fire department employees.”

“Any reasonable person taking your post as whole would clearly conclude the overall comments and tone qualify as harsh, indecent and profane,” Roberts said in the letter.

Foward called it “an unwarranted attack on the NAACP. I believe that Jeff understood that the comment that he made … was totally inappropriate for him being a public servant.”

Jones, in his letter of resignation to Chief Larry Sexton dated Feb. 28, said he learned much during his time with the department.

UPDATE @ 2:17 p.m.: A Jefferson Twp. firefighter resigned Sunday rather than face a Tuesday disciplinary hearing about a controversial Facebook post.

Jeffrey M. Jones was being disciplined for a post in which he called an area car dealer a “racist p.o.s.” in response to a television commercial that made light of the lack of diversity among the major Academy Awards nominees.

Township administrator Len Roberts said Jones had previously been disciplined for a social media violation and that Roberts found Jones guilty of “reflecting discredit upon the township service” and for “conduct unbecoming all fire department employees.”

Jones had been disciplined for other conduct as well in his two years and was described as “a hot head with a temper” by a lieutenant.

FIRST REPORT

A volunteer firefighter at the Jefferson Twp. Fire Dept. has resigned and was facing possible disciplinary action prior to submitting his resignation letter, according to the township administrator.

Jeff Jones submitted his resignation letter to the township on Monday and township trustees accepted his resignation during a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday night, Township Administrator Len Roberts said.

Roberts said Jones did not specify his reason for resigning, but did say Jones was facing possible disciplinary action.

This news outlet has requested a copy of Jones’ personnel file, which would likely explain why Jones was facing disciplinary action from the township.

Jones was hired by the department on May 15, 2014.