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Dispatcher accused of sleeping on job suspended

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By Denise G. Callahan, Staff Writer Updated 9:44 PM Thursday, October 29, 2009

LEBANON — The Warren County commissioners have suspended dispatcher accused of sleeping on the job.

Commissioner Pat South said dispatcher Shawn Mason was placed on a three-day suspension following a disciplinary hearing. Mason received first a verbal warning, then a written warning and the next step was a suspension, she said.

County Administrator Dave Gully placed Mason on administrative leave Thursday, Oct. 22, pending the pre-disciplinary hearing that was held Wednesday.

South said Mason allegedly was sleeping on duty twice in the past couple months.

Mason’s suspension comes two weeks after Warren County Emergency Service Director Frank Young resigned following the release of a report from an internal investigation into improper conduct among late-night emergency dispatchers.

The commissioners are interviewing companies to do a complete review of the emergency services department, including the dispatch center.

Commissioners a week ago hired Mark Lucas of the human resources firm Clemans-Nelson & Associates to investigate what happened the night of Aug. 11, 2008, when dispatcher Ron Kronenberger answered a 911 call from Ryan Widmer, who reported that he found his wife, Sarah, unresponsive and face-down in the bathtub of their Hamilton Twp. home.

Among findings in the county’s report released Oct. 14 is that Kronenberger, rumored to have been asleep just before answering Widmer’s call, is a habitual sleeper on duty.

In the 911 call, Kronenberger sounded as if he were confused and at one point asked Widmer if he was Sarah Widmer’s mother. In the investigative report, a dispatch manager said Kronenberger was probably sound asleep prior to answering Widmer’s call. However, county officials say records from the night of the Widmer call show Kronenberger took calls 4 minutes and 3 minutes prior to Widmer’s.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.

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It is quite easy to sit in judgement in situations when you hear one "version" of a story. You have no idea who these folks are or what they are about. I rely on these guys to protect me and my family, so maybe Warren County needs to look at giving them the salaries they deserve and quit locking them in a cold dark room for twelve hours at a time without breaks. But that's right, this is a "me" society, so the public servants are always wrong.

Really
9:00 AM, 10/31/2009

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Excellent comment "amazed". Thank you for saying what I was thinking.

memawd
11:11 PM, 10/30/2009

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You people are such sheep. This isn't about Ryan Widmer. It's about your tax dollars are work. It's about people shirking their responsibility. It's about people getting paid good salaries in positions of responsibility not performing up to standard. It's about employees who whether they like it or not are representatives of the officials who hired them to a certain degree. Fire their sorry butts and give the jobs to people who will serve with responsiblity and integrity.

amazed
4:47 PM, 10/30/2009

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It,s All about Ryan Ryan Ryan don,t you think he,s heard enough ( LET IT BE )

Terri
10:49 PM, 10/29/2009

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This is not the same dispatcher, the one in question on the Widmer call has not been disciplined yet!

D
8:34 PM, 10/29/2009

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