Fired deputy wants job back
Admits accidental shooting was his fault
By CLARISSA ALJENTERA
Herald Staff Writer
A former Monterey County sheriff's deputy is continuing to fight to get his job back.
Louis Parker was dismissed from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office in 2002 after he accidentally discharged a Colt AR-15 assault rifle while unloading it from a bag, shooting and injuring embroidery shop owner Donald Ingalls, who is still recovering from the incident.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors recently decided to follow the recommendation of the Sheriff's Office to deny Parker's return to the force.
An arbitrator heard Parker's case earlier this year and suggested that Parker get his job back, said Don Dietrich of the deputies' union, Operating Engineers Union Local 3.
"Louis Parker knows it is his fault," Dietrich said. "He never denied it was his fault. It is not that he shouldn't have been punished."
Dietrich wants to ask a judge to review the county's decision to deny Parker his job.
Undersheriff Nancy Cuffney said the next step will be for the union or Parker to take the issue to court within the time prescribed by law, or the case will be closed.
Dietrich is hoping that Parker gets ordered back to work.
"He really wants to come back to the county of Monterey.... Before the incident, he had a spotless record," Dietrich said.
After the shooting, Ingalls' health greatly declined, according to court documents. Fragments from the bullets were left behind in his lungs, kidneys, liver and gall bladder. His wife, Nancy, has also endured tough times, going through depression after she had seen her husband shot at close range.
An investigation completed by the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said it was an accidental shooting.
King City police initially responded to the shooting but turned the case over to the Sheriff's Office. The deputy remained on paid administrative leave while the case was investigated. As a SWAT team member, the deputy was expected to have his rifle with him while off-duty, but having the gun loaded violated department policy, former Sheriff Gordon Sonné said at the time.
Earlier this year, Monterey County settled a lawsuit with Ingalls for an undisclosed amount of money.
The county's payment was $500,000. The remainder of the lawsuit was paid by the county's insurance carrier.
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Admits accidental shooting was his fault
By CLARISSA ALJENTERA
Herald Staff Writer
A former Monterey County sheriff's deputy is continuing to fight to get his job back.
Louis Parker was dismissed from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office in 2002 after he accidentally discharged a Colt AR-15 assault rifle while unloading it from a bag, shooting and injuring embroidery shop owner Donald Ingalls, who is still recovering from the incident.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors recently decided to follow the recommendation of the Sheriff's Office to deny Parker's return to the force.
An arbitrator heard Parker's case earlier this year and suggested that Parker get his job back, said Don Dietrich of the deputies' union, Operating Engineers Union Local 3.
"Louis Parker knows it is his fault," Dietrich said. "He never denied it was his fault. It is not that he shouldn't have been punished."
Dietrich wants to ask a judge to review the county's decision to deny Parker his job.
Undersheriff Nancy Cuffney said the next step will be for the union or Parker to take the issue to court within the time prescribed by law, or the case will be closed.
Dietrich is hoping that Parker gets ordered back to work.
"He really wants to come back to the county of Monterey.... Before the incident, he had a spotless record," Dietrich said.
After the shooting, Ingalls' health greatly declined, according to court documents. Fragments from the bullets were left behind in his lungs, kidneys, liver and gall bladder. His wife, Nancy, has also endured tough times, going through depression after she had seen her husband shot at close range.
An investigation completed by the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said it was an accidental shooting.
King City police initially responded to the shooting but turned the case over to the Sheriff's Office. The deputy remained on paid administrative leave while the case was investigated. As a SWAT team member, the deputy was expected to have his rifle with him while off-duty, but having the gun loaded violated department policy, former Sheriff Gordon Sonné said at the time.
Earlier this year, Monterey County settled a lawsuit with Ingalls for an undisclosed amount of money.
The county's payment was $500,000. The remainder of the lawsuit was paid by the county's insurance carrier.
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