Gahanna Officer Back On Job Despite 149 MPH Ticket

GAHANNA, Ohio -- Gahanna police officer Christopher Thomas will return to his job after being fired last year for driving 149 miles per hour on his motorcycle.

A state arbitrator has ruled Gahanna must give Thomas his job back -- when he returns from injury leave -- but can impose a 90-day unpaid suspension. Arbitrators decided the city did not have just cause for firing.

Thomas, 33, was clocked going 149 mph on I-70, east of Columbus, where the speed limit is 65 mph.

Thomas was riding with two other people, including 35-year-old Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper Jason Highsmith.

Highsmith was clocked going 147 mph on I-70, east of Columbus, where the speed limit is 65 mph.

An OSP radar plane clocked the motorcyclists going those speeds Sunday, June 28, 2009, and troopers made the traffic stop. A third motorcyclist also was part of the group but was not clocked on radar and was not ticketed.

Both Thomas and Highsmith were off duty during the incident.

Four days after the stop, troopers issued Highsmith a ticket, and eight days later Thomas was issued a citation.

Highsmith entered a plea of not guilty on Wednesday, July 8, 2009. He was sentenced to a $150 fine plus court costs. His license was to be suspended for six months, and four points were added to his license.

Highsmith was placed on probation for two years. During that time, if were to Highsmith violate the code of conduct, he will be terminated.

The Ohio Highway Patrol also suspended Highsmith for five days and transferred him to the Marysville post.

Thomas pleaded guilty Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, and was sentenced to a $150 fine and six-month license suspension.

Gahanna fired Thomas as the ticket came during a leave period for a shoulder injury. Thomas was on injury leave from the force after an on-duty car crash when the incident occurred.

But the local police union filed a grievance with the state, arguing Gahanna could not fire Thomas for a traffic offense.

Earlier this month, a state arbitrator agreed, finding Thomas disgraced his office but was not guilty of immoral conduct and thus deserved his job back.

A separate investigation by the Bureau of Workers Compensation found no evidence of workers compensation fraud or abuse by Thomas.

But in Gahanna, many neighbors, workers and drivers believe Thomas has lost his credibility and is incapable of serving the community effectively.

"I would not feel comfortable being pulled over by a man who broke the law himself -- and exponentially broke the law. It's ridiculous," said driver Brittany Schultz.

In a written statement from the city of Gahanna, city leaders noted their disappointment in the arbitrator's decision: "The city will comply with that decision, however, city officials still believe they were right to fire Thomas."

Police union president Jim Gilbert told NBC 4 that the 90-day unpaid suspension is 90 work days, not consecutive days. That equates to 18 weeks without pay. The city of Gahanna said Thomas will lose more than $20,000 in pay and benefits during that period.

Gilbert said he is not sure whether Thomas will be welcomed back to work.

"I don't think that I would be able to respect somebody that was breaking the law and then all of the sudden got back into the force," said driver Kaleigh Windle.

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