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Armando Martinez
(Note: Articles Appear in Reverse Chronological Order)
Tab 8
The money, $20 of which Burke said he donated out of his own pocket, eventually was delivered
to Culver after the investigation.
Burke said he was truthful during the internal investigation and that he never felt Culver should
have been fired. Instead, he said he felt Culver should have been given additional training
through the Sheriff's Office.
"I guess I'm not allowed to have an opinion," Burke said.
As for the memo Jones mentioned in his written synopsis of the internal investigation, Burke said
it only indicates that Culver failed the city's training program. Burke said he wrote the memo the
way Martinez ordered him to do it and that he did not offer an opinion on how the matter should
be handled. He said that decision was left to Martinez, who was the city's police chief at the
time.
Burke also contends not only was his firing over the top for his perceived infraction, he believes
it could be in retaliation for complaints he made regarding a personal relationship between two
fellow officers.
Burke said he complained to Jones and Martinez about police Lt. John Murray's romantic
involvement with a subordinate - Cpl. Lisa Poole. Burke and other department employees, who
requested their names not be published for fear of reprisal, said Murray supervised Poole directly
and indirectly for months and that's against policy.
The employees said they also feel Poole has received preferential job treatment due to her
relationship with Murray.
He and Poole were married in early June and both still work with the agency.
A copy of the police department's policy manual, obtained by The News-Tribune, reads that, "in
order to promote the efficient operation of the agency and to avoid misunderstandings,
complaints of favoritism, other problems of supervision, security, and morale, and possible
claims of sexual harassment, supervisors are forbidden to date or pursue romantic or sexual
relationships with members who they supervise, directly or indirectly. Members who violate this
guideline will be subject to discipline."
In a separate interview, Martinez defended the couple's relationship and his decision to keep
them both on staff.
"You can't tell people what to do in their personal lives," Martinez said.
He called Poole and Murray "good employees" and said in an agency as small as the
Bunnell Police Department, officials simply don't have the luxury of letting good employees go
over something benign.
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