Fired police officer loses a round

Pending a hearing, the termination of Tayla Fruge from the Eunice Police Department was upheld in a ruling by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal.
Fruge was terminated on May 13, 2014, by the Board of Aldermen, who accepted the recommendation of then Police Chief Ronald Dies.
The termination was upheld in the 27th Judicial District Court in a ruling by Judge Marion F. Edwards, who sent the case back to the civil service board for full evidentiary hearing.
The Eunice Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board appealed the district court ruling to the court of appeal, which issued a ruling April 2.
“Taking into account the circumstances of this case, we find that the Board of Aldermen did not act in bad faith when they acceded to the recommendation of Chief Dies and terminated Officer Fruge,” the ruling stated.
“Thus we find no error in the trial court’s order remanding Officer Fruge’s case to the Eunice Civil Service Board for a full hearing on the issue of Officer Fruge’s termination,” the ruling stated.
The cost of the appeal, $655.50, was assessed to the civil service board.
The court of appeal ruling stated:
“Officer Fruge was notified by Deputy Chief of Police Varden Guillory on April 1, 2014, that she was under investigation for misconduct. By the same memo, she was informed that she was being placed on administrative leave with pay. Officer Fruge signed a form acknowledging receipt of this notice and a copy of the Officer Bill of Rights. On May 5, 2014, Chief Ronald Dies sent a letter to Officer Fruge explaining the charges against her and ordering her to appear at a pre-disciplinary hearing on May 6, 2014. The record does not indicate whether Officer Fruge appeared at the May 6, 2014 hearing. On May 7, Chief Dies notified Officer Fruge that he would recommend her termination from the Eunice Police Department at the city council meeting on May 13, 2014. The Board of Aldermen of the City of Eunice, the appointing authority, voted to accept Chief Dies’ recommendation and terminated Officer Fruge.”
The civil service ruling is similar to one it issued April 2 in reinstating Mike Arnold as fire chief citing a lack of pre-disciplinary hearing.
But the court of appeal ruling stated Fruge was given an opportunity to present her case at at the May 6 meeting with the police chief.
“It is no moment whether she attended the meeting; it is enough that she was given that opportunity to be heard,” the judges ruled.
The ruling was written by Judge Elizabeth Pickett and the court included Judges Jimmie Peters and Marc Amy.
Fruge, then 33, and Jade Weaver, 27, were relieved of duty and accused in April 2014 of failing to assist an officer during an altercation.
Aldermen agreed with a recommendation by Dies to terminate Fruge. Aldermen rejected a recommendation by Dies to fire Weaver, who had only been on the job eight weeks when the incident occurred.
Weaver now works on patrol for the police department.
The civil service hearing for Fruge has been scheduled in May, according to Keith Vidrine, civil service board chairman.