Jessie Lunderby, the woman who was suspended from her job as a Washington County jailer in June after posing nude for Playboy, was fired on Wednesday.
Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder informed Lunderby of his decision to terminate her employment in a five-page letter he delivered to her on Wednesday.
“You may truthfully tell others that your employment termination was not a disciplinary termination,” reads the letter. “It is a business decision – my decision to move forward without the distraction/disruption that follows the employment of a person who is both a Playboy Cyber Girl and a jail employee.”
Helder also expressed concern over Lunderby’s safety.
“Some of the prisoners will likely have seen you nude,” the letter reads. “It is our view that there will likely be much interest (in both the pictures and the words) among the detainees in our public jail. That interest will, in our judgement, interfere with your ability to function as a jailer.”
Lunderby was put on paid administrative leave on June 20 pending an investigation by the sheriff’s department, and Washington County officials announced earlier this week that she would be punished for violating department ethics policies. Lunderby refused to sign the termination letter.
TMZ broke the story about Lunderby’s termination.
Next stop – every other national media outlet in the country. Let the storm begin.
Fired over concern for her safety, yea right, more like embarrassment for being so backward thinking and that they got more attention than they bargained for on a national scale. I swear how long does it take to get rid of the puritan way?
Okay, so let me get this straight. It is okay for a male deputy/jailer to do the following:
1. Be so grossly overweight that he cannot do his job properly.
2. Forget about locking a woman in a holding cell and leave her there over a long weekend with no food and no water.
3. Draw a “sex tree” outlining which male deputies the female deputies were allowed to have sex with and show it to the female deputies.
4. Have wife swapping parties that lead to fights in the workplace.
But, it is NOT okay for a female deputy/jailer to pose nude for a legal, non-pornographic publication?
I agree with WOW BUT
I am pretty sure Playboy is considered a pornographic publication
She can lock me up anyday.
The Fayetteville police doesn’t do anything other than hang out at Taco bell at night to find drunk drivers . How about stopping the meth labs and robberies that are rising rapidly in this town instead of looking for drunk frat boys or football players coming off Dickson Street.Also they have no respect for women in Fayetteville I can name numerous times when they pulled over women that I know and they harass them about stuff that never happened .
Leave woman in a cell for four day without food, water, or toilet facilities: 30 day suspension
Pose nude: fired
Thanks for making nwa/fyv look like anti-modernity hicks, sheriff.
You: You are right. I should have used the word “explicit.”
Also, I think blaming her if inmates misbehave because of her photos is like blaming a rape victim for wearing tight clothing. I hate the “she asked for it” mentality of some men.
Sheriff Helder will no longer have my vote.
Did the county attorney read this letter before Mr. Helder sent it to her?
If so, Washington County is in need of a new county attorney.
I am not an employment attorney, but it seems as if some of the statements made in the letter could strengthen any discrimination case Ms. Lunderby has against the county.
Remember those “Free Archie” bumper stickers?
Someone needs to make some “Hire Jessie” ones.
@Wow –
The Sex Tree! I had forgotten all about that. Remembered the wife swapping and the fights, but not The Sex Tree.
Thank you. Thank you oh so much.
Good job Sheriff Helder
I heard he blamed her today for coming into work in uniform to receive her letter of termination at the same time a paparazzi was hanging outside to photograph her arrival. She replied when scorned at about it that the only person that knew she was coming to receive her termination letter was her agent.
Regardless, I guess any backwards person can run a county sheriffs department now days. I doubt the thought ever crossed his mind to be a little more modern, don’t bring undo attention to the region in hard economic times and most of all don’t blame a woman for your poor management skills. Him and the police officers who were joking about it today are just little minds that unfortunately have guns and god complexes.
I swear, our sheriff’s department sounds like a season of Reno 911.
Funny thing is that this firing is probably going to be the best thing that could happen to her career.
@burgerboy and @You:
Both of you are so irreversibly and truly right.
WCSD has been the bane of my Arkie existence since 1996. I’ve never been in trouble with the law but have been had terrible experiences every time I’ve dealt with the sheriff’s dept. FPD is not as bad but I have learned NEVER call the police, no matter what.
Why does the Fayetteville police department act like they are on CSI Miami when ever they pull somebody over and lose their cool by searching everything and harassing the driver over stuff that never happened . I mean when I get pulled over in Little Rock they either give me a warning or the ticket in about two minutes and they are off doing more important things by protecting the citizens of Arkansas.
Maybe you act suspicious, I’ve never had issues with FPD when pulled over.
Actually I act normal whenever I get pulled over it is just the fayetteville police that does this to me and I know several other people who have same problem ,I mean when ever I am in Little Rock I never get harassed or questioned about ridiculous things like what is the paper sack for when I have paper sack from the grocery store with food in them and you can tell it is food from the grocery store . I mean use common sense . I also have friend who got pulled over right after Mcdonalds and the police Officer try harass them about what is in the Mcdonalds meal bag right after the person bought the meal . I mean not everyone in Fayetteville is a college student who is smoking pot or a drunk. How about the police deparment try and protect the city of Fayetteville instead of terrorizing them.
I have also never had a problem with fpd
They’ve pulled me over for bogus reasons. Once was late on a Sunday when they were clearly bored. Said I’d failed to signal a turn. Horse-hockey. The shrimp had short-man syndrome.
I love how it’s always a “bogus reason” or “I didn’t do anything wrong” or whatever. If that is truly the case, get a lawyer, whip out the Constitution and sue them for unlawful detention, violation of your Constitutional right to due process and violation of the 4th Amendment. Won’t do it? Didn’t think so. Because you know you did whatever it is they said.
Police are nothing but the physical manifestation of the law. They don’t make stuff up like “you didn’t stop at that red light”. Especially now with every car, truck, motorcycle and what have you with a video camera on the dash. It’s getting really hard for them to lie.
Are there some stupid laws on the books? Absolutely. If you don’t like the law, get with your Representative or Senator and work to change it. But if you don’t signal your turn, you have broken the law. It’s there in the Arkansas State Traffic Code. Which means you will be subject to being detained and possibly issued a citation for a traffic violation. (love the cop-speak?)
Are there police officers that could be better at their jobs? Absolutely. Are there laws that could be improved? Definitely. But don’t condemn the people who are doing their jobs, just because you don’t want to obey the law (however stupid you may think it is)
Kind of like saying, “I don’t like the rules, so I’m not going to follow the rules, and no one should try to make me and if you do you’re just a hater that’s trying to ruin my life.” Sounds like Abel Tomlinson—-or my teenager.
So now we can turn this thread into a law enforcement hate-fest.
Just my opinion. To which their own everyone has the right.
So why didn’t he issue me a ticket for failing to signal? Then that must have been a dereliction of duty.
Fact is… I was there. I’m pretty sure I signaled my turn, I always do (unlike about 75 percent of the aimless drivers here). Regardless, he didn’t stop me for not signaling a turn, it was a fishing expedition looking for a late Sunday night DUI.
You’re kind of judgmental. And talking about something you have no knowledge of. Just my opinion. To which their own everyone has the right.
@I.O. —
Not judgmental. Just tired of people whining about how the cops are out to get them. And how it should be ok to ignore laws they think are stupid. If you don’t like a law, get it changed.
As for your particular traffic stop- No, I have no knowledge of that particular incident.
However, in my nine-plus years of being a law enforcement officer I have made thousands of traffic stops. Some I wrote tickets. Some I didn’t. In some cases, a warning is warranted. In some cases a ticket is warranted. It’s called officer discretion. And it’s part of the law.
Something else I do have extensive knowledge of is DWI enforcement. (And if you don’t think it’s a problem, tell me why one officer in one year can arrest well over 100 people for DWI. And they all were convicted.) Officers don’t “fish” for DWI’s. A DWI case is hard to make, and officers don’t just stop people willy-nilly trying to find one. Trust me. There are plenty out there. “Bogus” traffic stops aren’t needed to find them.
And the last thing I’ll say is this: Cops are people, too. They don’t give up their humanity or their frailties when they put on the vest and badge. If you truly have an issue with an officer, go speak to their supervisor. Otherwise, have a little compassion for the person who is putting their life on the line for us every day.
And, please, don’t steal my sig. I am very sincere about it. After all, I HAVE raised my hand and sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. And that is why I end all my posts with:
Just my opinion. To which their own everyone has the right.
@Monroe: I’ve got two cops as family members, one still active. So I don’t think the cops are out to “get” me specifically or most people in general. But as you say, cops are people too, and some people just suck. So some cops suck as well. And some of those sucky cops do sucky things, like pull people over for flimsy reasons. You know this, man, don’t pretend it doesn’t happen. Generally you seem somewhat learned, so don’t blow your credibility with a blanket defense of law enforcement.
@I.O.–
I’ve never offered a blanket defense. I do get tired sometimes of the blanket condemnations (not that yours was, you were speaking about a very specific individual). You know what I’m talking about…”All cops suck and are @#$%^”. You’ve heard it, I’ve lived it. Perhaps I do defend a little strongly. You’re right. I’ve worked with some people that just sucked at being cops. And that’s very sad. Hopefully they can find something else to do. Soon.
Just my opinion. To which their own everyone has the right.
Apparently Tim Helder chooses to tie his office’s professional appearance to 300 lb. 30 year old males with their uniforms stretched so tight across their bellies that they are bound to pop a button and folks whose professional negligence nearly kills people.
Go figger. I hope someone is brave enough to run against this fellow because this is BS.