news-record.com

GREENSBORO - Two of the three Greensboro police officers accused of sexual assault by a female officer were recommended to be fired today, according to City Manager Mitchell Johnson. Both can appeal.

Sgt. A.S. Wallace and Officer J.O. LeGrand had been on paid leave while police and prosecutors investigated the complaint filed in December. Guilford District Attorney Doug Henderson decided in May not to prosecute the three officers, citing a lack of evidence.

The employment status of the third officer -- C.S. Stevens -- has not changed, Johnson said. Stevens was put on administrative leave in December.

After the decision not to prosecute, the police department's professional standards division continued an administrative investigation into whether any officers violated the department's rules.

Police employees who are "recommended for termination" may typically pursue one of three options:

• They may accept the recommended punishment
• They may appeal the punishment to the police chief
• They may request a general board of inquiry, which is an internal departmental hearing that includes command level personnel and peers of the accused, as well as the police chief.

In December, a female police officer reported being sexually assaulted after she got into a vehicle with three on-duty police officers near the Four Seasons Town Centre.