Trumbull deputy’s suspension reduced to three days

Staff report

WARREN

The unpaid suspension of a Trumbull County deputy sheriff who wrote a racially oriented Facebook post about a man who died in police custody in Baltimore, has been reduced to three days.

Maj. Harold Firster originally found that Michael Geer should be fired for the post, but a hearing officer ordered a 30-day unpaid suspension. That later was reduced on appeal to a three-day unpaid suspenion.

Sheriff Thomas Altiere said Geer already had served nine days before the appeal was decided, so he was reimbursed for six of the nine days off.

Altiere said Geer “was very remorseful” for the remarks and apologized to several co-workers. Altiere added that the people who brought the post to his attention “didn’t want to see him lose his job.”

Freddie Gray died of a fatal spine injury while in Baltimore police custody. Six Baltimore police officers were indicted in his death. Geer’s post criticized Gray and the reactions of black leaders and community members in the aftermath of his death.