Published: May 16, 2008 10:00 pm         

Vigo deputy suspended after using patrol car for campaigning

TERRE HAUTE — A nearly 17-year veteran of the Vigo County Sheriff’s Department has been suspended for 15 working days, unpaid, after using his county patrol car to help distribute campaign material.

Sheriff Jon Marvel said he suspended Deputy Dave Ferguson on May 1 after he used his car during the last week of April to take his wife through neighborhoods in north Terre Haute to distribute campaign material in support of re-election for Vigo County Superior Court Division 5 Judge Barbara Brugnaux.

The deputy’s wife works on Brugnaux’s staff, Marvel said.

“It was brought to my attention that a deputy was using a county patrol car to take his wife door to door one evening to hang political campaign material,” Marvel said. “The deputy admitted to having large bag of election material that his wife was getting stuff out of to go door to door.”

“It is very clear in our merit rules. You cannot politic or electioneer in uniform or you may not have a political sticker or any campaign materials inside the county patrol car or inside a county vehicle,” Marvel said.

The 15-working day suspension “is as long, according to state law, that I can suspend him for without taking [the matter] before our sheriff’s merit board,” Marvel said.

The sheriff said Chief Deputy Jake Compton conducted an investigation into the matter.

“The judge had no idea that it was being done and I thoroughly believe that,” Marvel said. “But, his wife does work for the judge, and the judge’s staff in support of her did do campaigning for her.”

Marvel said the deputy said he wanted to go with his wife to protect her in a neighborhood the wife was not familiar with, “but why not do that in her car? He had no excuse, so being a seasoned officer I came down on him as hard as I could without going before the Merit Board.”

Ferguson does not have a listed telephone number and could not be reached for comment. Brugnaux lost in the primary to Michael Rader.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.