Washington County jailer fired after posing nude
Posted: July 14, 2010 at 10:14 p.m.
Updated: July 14, 2010 at 10:43 p.m.
Jessie Lunderby, who posed nude for Playboy.com, lost her job Wednesday at the Washington County Jail. Lunderby had been suspended with pay since June 20 as a result of her provocative photos on the website, which named her Cyber Girl of the Week.
Reader poll
Should Jessie Lunderby have been fired?
- Yes 35% 91 votes
- No 58% 151 votes
- I don't know 6% 17 votes
259 total votes.
FAYETTEVILLE — A Washington County jailer who posed nude for Playboy.com lost her job Wednesday.
Jessie Lunderby has been suspended with pay since June 20 as a result of her provocative photos on the website, which named her Cyber Girl of the Week.
Sheriff Tim Helder, in a five-page letter to Lunderby released late Wednesday night, told Lunderby her actions were interfering with the job the people of Washington County elected him to do. Helder called the firing a business decision, not discipline of an employee. He also said Lunderby's actions have disrupted the workplace and affected public perception of the sheriff's office.
"I am moving ahead without the distraction/disruption that your now-public nude modeling hobby/career brings into our workplace, if you were to continue as our county detention employee," Helder wrote.
In the letter, Helder said he anticipates there will "likely be much interest" about Lunderby among the inmates held in the Washington County Detention Center and that would impede her ability to perform her jailer duties.
More information will be available Thursday and in Friday's newspaper.
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Does federal law permit hiring only ugly employees? Or is that some kind of discrimination? Don't want to distract the inmates. Kinda like the cold meals in Benton County Jail.
Posted by: ajm
July 15, 2010 at 6:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Fired? If you consistently read this paper, women are given much harsher sentences than men, and for some odd reason, it makes news.
This is not news. And how the sheriff feels the inmates 'Anticipates their interest '. Is grounds for discrimination.
Posted by: Farm123
July 15, 2010 at 8:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
In addition, a deputy can leave a woman who has been detained in an isolated cell for four days with no food, water, toilet privileges, and he gets a rap on the knuckles. Something isn't right? What if the female detainee had died?
Posted by: Farm123
July 15, 2010 at 8:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Apparently Tim Helder wishes to tie the professional image of his department to the 300 lb. waddlers you see in so many Washington County Sheriff's vehicles.
Disgraceful AND silly.
Posted by: JayTee
July 15, 2010 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Guess there's no reason for me to keep getting arrested now.
Posted by: NWAHOGALUM
July 15, 2010 at 9:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
was interest among inmates or staff that would be a distraction at the facility?
Posted by: fanortner
July 15, 2010 at 12:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Sheriff Helder said he was concerned about distractions both among staff and inmates.
Posted by: Christopher_Spencer
July 15, 2010 at 9:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Excellant point BART. Bottom line she screwed up. This is ALL on her. And since when can a person be fired because something "could" happen.
Posted by: BCGuy
July 16, 2010 at 7:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
The letter doesn't cite a SINGLE on-the-job incident to justify the Sheriff's hypothesis.
Did you see the article in Ozarks Unbound (online)? It made an interesting point, comparing this firing to the wrist slap (30 days suspension) for the deputy who forgot a woman locked in a room for 4 days?
Apparently fear of possible "hubba hubba" misbehavior from detainees is more serious than mistakes that could kill people.
Posted by: JayTee
July 16, 2010 at 10:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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