Update: Nominees For Spartanburg Co. Veterans Affairs Officer To Be Discussed Monday

Updated February 6, 2012 at 6:50 a.m.

 On Monday the Spartanburg County legislative delegation will talk about nominations for the county's Veterans Affairs Officer according to the Herald-Journal.

Assistant County V.A. Officer Lynn O'Dell has been filling in since Terry Simmons stepped down in Novemer.

 Monday's meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in Spartanburg County Council Chambers.

Updated November 22, 2011

During a Spartanburg County Legislative Delegation meeting Tuesday county Veterans Affairs Officer Terry Simmons resigned.

Posted November 21, 2011

The Spartanburg County Legislative Delegation will meet Tuesday to once again discuss allegations surrounding county Veterans Affairs Officer Terry Simmons.

In October, Spartanburg County admistrators suspended Simmons, 62, without pay for two weeks after he admitted he brought a handgun into the office on September 30th. Simmons said it was an innocent mistake; he says he forgot the gun, a World War II-era .38 snubnose, was inside a bookbag that he carried into his office.

But now, a former employee and current employees are speaking out against Simmons, saying there was nothing innocent about the gun's presence. They say Simmons has sexually harassed them on multiple occasions and intimidated them, using the gun in one instance.

Lauren Jenkins, 22, started working at the VA Office as a secretary in September. She says on her second day on the job, Simmons made her hold his hand during a staff meeting.

"He asked for my hand, and I didn't know what to do," says Jenkins. "It was just my second day there and he was supposed to be this good, Christian man. So I put my hand out and he took it and held it for like two or three minutes during the meeting."

Employee Anita Painter says she witnessed the hand-holding and thought it was "weird".

Jenkins says the following week, Simmons ran his fingers through her hair and put his hand on her back. Employee Nancy Solesbee says he did the same thing to her. Simmons adamantly denies the touching and hand-holding.

"I would never do that," says the combat-wounded Vietnam veteran. "Anyone who knows me knows that that's not in my character. I am happily married."

Jenkins says her biggest shock came on September 30th, when Simmons approached her desk holding a dollar bill.

"He said, 'Lauren, this is the first of many dollars you're going to make from me', and he laid it down on my desk and said, 'Now give me my kiss'. He leaned down and puckered his lips right beside mine. If I had turned toward him, I would have touched him, that's how close he was. I just turned the other way and laughed it off, telling him he could not have a kiss," says Jenkins.

Simmons says he did give her a dollar bill, but only to congratulate her because she had just gotten her first paycheck.

"I was even going to get her a frame to put it in, like a business does when it makes its first dollar," says Simmons. "I never said nothing about no kiss. I don't know where that's coming from. That's a lie."

Jenkins says about an hour after she rejected his advance, she was standing outside with another employee when Simmons, who had gone to his truck, came walking past them holding the handgun.

"It was not in a bookbag," says Jenkins. "He was holding it with his hand on the trigger. He even stopped and talked to us about it. He wasn't making threats, he was just telling us about the gun, but the whole time he had it pointed at us, waving it around with no regard for our life or safety. I feel like he was doing it to intimidate us."

Simmons says he never held the gun in front of them.

"One of those four girls in the office went snooping in my bag in my office, and that's how they saw it. I never took it out."

It is against Spartanburg County policy for employees to bring firearms onto county property. Jenkins reported the incident to the county's Human Resources director, which is how the October suspension came about. But during that suspension, the Attorney General's Office issued an opinion, stating the county does not have the authority to suspend Simmons because he was appointed by the legislative delegation. The opinion also states that, though the VA Office employees are paid by the county and have benefits through the county, their employment is at the sole discretion of the VA Officer. Simmons was allowed to return to work after the delegation met in late October and a majority of legislators voted to keep him in office. Jenkins says after Simmons returned to work, the harassment and intimidation only escalated.

"He feels like he is invincible now. There is no one to protect us," says Jenkins. "We have no one to turn to if we feel like we have a hostile work environment. (Simmons) can do whatever he wants to us and we have no recourse."

Simmons fired Jenkins on Friday, two days after Jenkins filed a complaint against him with the EEOC. She has also filed a sexual harassment complaint with Spartanburg County, as has Solesbee. Jenkins says she is the second secretary to file a sexual harassment complaint against Simmons, stating the previous secretary whom she replaced also took that action.   

Jenkins says over the weekend she talked to a few legislators about what has happened and asked them to hold another executive session soon to discuss the situation. Word came late Monday that the delegation will hold a meeting at 3pm on Tuesday. The agenda says the delegation will meet in executive session to discuss personnel matters. Rep. Eddie Tallon and Rep. Bill Chumley have confirmed that Simmons will be the subject of discussion.

 Simmons admitted to bringing a handgun into the office on September 30th.  He is also accused of sexually harassing former and current employees on several occasions and intimidating them, using the gun in one instance.

Simmons denies those allegations.

Simmons fired one employee two days after a complaint against him was filed.

  During Tuesday's meeting, all fired employees were reinstated.  Lyyn O'Dell will take over as the interim VA officer.