“Paid administrative leave”
Only people who work for the government. Nobody else gets that when they’re under criminal investigation.

@dogula…especially if one admits to the criminal activity. Done and done!

Watch the stress of his position will be the caused his actions. He should get disability until his early retirement kicks in. Maybe a workman’s, comp settlement.

If he has been arrested and in jail and physically unavailable to show up for work, why are taxpayers being forced to cough up for full paid administrative leave? Exactly who was representing the taxpayers and citizens when that kind of nonsense was approved in the union contract? Pure baloney.

Folks…..the insinuations that Unions are somehow “allowing” this monster to receive Adinistrative Leave is just pure ignorance of the LAW. Look it up. The Union won’t protect this monster, but the Federal Labor Standards Act does and other Gov’t Labor Law does. Also, there’s something called “Due Process”. We don’t live in China. Here, you have to be actually “convicted”. And based on this news organizations reporting, by all accounts, his own admission to knowing one of the victims should be enough.

If, while on Administrative leave, he is found to be guilty of these charges on or off the job, all that Amin Leave pay can be converted from his existing accrued Vacation, Sick Leave and other wages he has earned but not yet been compensated. As an individual Tax Payer, I know I actually pay, via Taxes, about $0.25 a year towards his salery. But still…..I don’t want him getting a single dime.

We can ALL agree that people like this should serve 20 years of their life in prison when convicted, but your Straw Man arguments have no place in this website if Facts and Truth are to be the standard we all behave by.

I think one of his fireman friends outed him by putting the flash drive in an unassigned locker. Can’t wait to hear of the deal he gets to name others involved with him so he gets a reduced sentence and to hear him say how sorry he is, what a disgrace he is to his family, friends, the City and Firefighters everywhere. All the while collecting his pay.
He doesn’t deserve paid leave, how long will that last, until his trial is over 5 years down the road ? Cut him off now and go back and change the union contract and change all contracts for city employees, no paid administrative leave.

Let’s keep this horrific crime in perspective. It was committed by a person who represents a local agency.

It wasn’t committed by THAT agency!

This really stinks. Our firefighters don’t need this, the kids didn’t need this. Remember as a kid that the fire department where I grew up would license our bicycles. You need to be able to trust somebody and the fire department is part of that. I know that they do great work with kids and the special needs community. Still trust them.

Not a fireman

I realize that people get extremely worked up over the paid administrative leave for government employees but unfortunately that was decided a long time ago in negotiated Union contracts that long ago City Council’s approved. I’m not saying that this is right, but what I am questioning is where were SLTs voting residents when all this was being given away? Were people not paying attention to what their elected City Council representatives were doing?

Once you’ve given away the farm its pretty hard to get it back.

Giveaway union contracts, employee benefits, salaries, perks, pensions, and other employee matters are conducted in closed session out of the public’s purveyance, knowledge, awareness or concurrence.

One can only wonder if the politician(s) at the giveaway tables had been “endorsed” by the fire unions. End result: yet another taxpayer shakedown.

Jeeze, he got arrested & put on paid leave. As soon as some details come out & he gets charged he will get fired & lose his pension & any benefits. The city council meetings are public meetings. All of you who are bitching about firemen’s salaries & benefits can go to the meetings and voice your opinions. Instead of bitching about other peoples benefits you should demand more from your employer. That’s the main topic on this thread. Seriously? This guy is a scumbag but you guys are pathetic. They can fire all the Firemen & cops & all the city employees for that matter & it won’t change what you pay in taxes. Grow up. If you want to spew negativity just call the guy a dirtbag loser & move on.

This is the nature of public sector unions. George Meany former AFL CIO leader was opposed to public sector unions, if only the politicians would have listened.

Time to take down all of the Project Safe Place signs off of all of the Fire Stations, Firefighters in general just aren’t the same anymore. One really bad one can tarnish all of them for years to come. It’s sad.

Just another in a long line of examples of the quality that is the South Lake Tahoe government.

Too bad. Stuff like this is becoming all too common. . .

26: This is a tragedy, but I think what people are trying to get at is that the fact that he is still receiving pay makes it more of a tragedy.

It seems he is cooperating. Now all we can do is pray some attorney doesn’t convince him to plead Not Guilty. Fire Fighters are studs and maybe his last demonstration of honor will drive him to accept his consequences like a man.

http://www.foxreno.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/court-affidavit-sheds-light-slt-fire-captain-sexual-exploitation-allegations-4679.shtml#.VMzP3FyCOSM

My heart goes out the the victims.

Kubby: So you’ve been here a minute, and set up your grow and you think you know? I hope it’s not true but look at Johnny Crawford. Those “hero’s” are people with issues just like anyone. I hope he’s not guilty but he very well could be.

There’s is a difference between professional heroes and heroic professionals. The city Fire Department to me is a troubled place. They turn over a lot of their personnel on what I would call a regular basis. I think the personnel that may be at fault are the HR people for maybe not doing a good enough background checks on these guys. In south lakes FD there is a fairly long list of of troubled firefighters that I’m sure you haven’t heard about. Same goes for the Cops and the City Council. I’ve been a local for 50 years and the City has had some major issues. A person usually doesn’t have to wait long for the next personnel issue to arise.

One has to wonder what warning signs were missed and known and how he was promoted a number of times without anyone knowing of his crimes. He should spare all a trial, take his jail/prison time and disappear.

Scad: Yes, my mistake. NOT Johnny Crawford. I did mean Poland.

Steve Kubby I agree 100% with your comment.

I have known many firefighters and policemen over the years in this community, the vast majority were and are outstanding citizens.

A few of these comments are painted with such a broad brush I can only shake my head at the thoughts.

It’s interesting how easily hate spills forth when one pens anonymously.

As for the former fire capt I do not know if he has a family but rest assured I am actively praying for them. Such a sad and tragic account on so many levels.

Considering a Sheriff’s sergeant, Bill Wilson, was arrested a year or two ago for similar charges and given a wrist slap and a retirement people should make sure this time that many years in prison are given as a lesson. What should concern people is this was a person doing this not only on the tax payers dime, it appears, but at the fire stations as well. If they find out others were aware of this from the Chief down and didn’t take action, there will be more firings required. This type of criminal has destroyed himself and tarnished the reputation of an entire department and he has to be dealt with seriously with serious prison time, the time should be federal where there are no early releases given.

“WyGant admitted in an interview with law enforcement on Thursday to recording those videos”. . .

Wouldn’t this sort of mean “paid administrative leave” is in effect ‘harboring a fugitive’ or ?. . . needs to be fired, if he doesn’t have the guts to quit – taking “money under false pretenses” comes to mind as well. . .

But will go with KC. . .as his family are most likely innocent bystanders. . .

Its sad that the actions WyGant have embarrassed the entire fire department. Most firefighters are exceptionally decent human beings who do a job that would stop the rest of us in our tracks. I’m sure they hate what WyGant did even more than we do. They surely feel even more betrayed by this than the public does and may fear that their children have been exposed to him.

Having said that, this is a despicable and chilling deviation from acceptable human behavior–something all parents seek to protect their children from. I don’t know how this can be rooted out before the obvious happens. Did anyone suspect this behavior? Perhaps a psychologist could shed some light on how this predatory and horrifying behavior gets started in a person.

Below is a copy of the press release and comment from City Manager Nancy Kerry from last Friday.

City Employee Taken into Custody
On January 29, 2015, South Lake Tahoe Fire Captain, Mr. Mark Wygant, was arrested and placed on paid administrative leave, pending results of a federal criminal investigation.

When the City first received an internal tip of a potential crime regarding a City employee, we worked aggressively and collaboratively with federal and local law enforcement agencies to fully investigate the allegations.

“I want to commend the Fire Chief, Police Chief, investigative team and the South Lake Tahoe office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their cooperation and professionalism in this matter. The type of conduct as alleged in the FBI’s affidavit is unacceptable for any public employee; it will not be tolerated and will be aggressively investigated. This alleged conduct is in complete contrast to standards and expectations we have for City employees and is not representative of the caliber and professionalism of the South Lake Tahoe public safety employees who continue to serve the public with honor every day,” said City Manager, Nancy Kerry.

As this matter is an ongoing federal investigation any further inquiries are to be directed to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
http://www.cityofslt.us/DocumentCenter/View/4896

This is the 3rd time in a few years that City of SLT staff members have been involved in the illicit activity of sexual exploitation of minors.

It’s time to stop defending the government and its employees, and admit that there’s a serious leadership problem at City Hall that needs to be addressed immediately.

An obviously troubled guy who clearly crossed the line and will, rightfully, face prosecution. Still, I’m a bit concerned over his resignation. Does he already have an attorney who recommended that move, or, as I’ve seen in other seemingly good folks who went sideways, despite serving the public, has he resigned, and abandoned his legal rights from a sense of embarrassment and guilt rather than on legal advice?

Everyone here is excited, perhaps as they should be, because a public employee seems to have gone seriously sideways in his personal life, and, perhaps, involved his Department.

Yet, as I advised a relative many years ago, the worst scumbags in the world already know their legal options and are ready to shut up and lawyer up. Many here disparage public employees, despite depending on their service. And, as far as I know, no one had complained about his service.

Without a hearing or awareness of the details of the case, is it fair or moral to celebrate him acting against his own interest because he has a conscience while folks lacking any conscience are primed to beat the system?

To repeat, although they might be out there, I haven’t seen anyone complaining about his service to the public.

Ms Dog, I’ve always promised myself that I’m not going to reply to replies. This is not a forum that lends itself to debate.

Nevertheless, and your theory on taxes, food stamps and wars notwithstanding, where we have a system that promises innocence until proven guilty, and is gamed by the most obviously guilty, some nitwit, with zero criminal background, who apparently looks at pictures on his computer and is so embarrassed by his actions that he quits his job and might even be planning to plead guilty without any other consideration, deserves some sympathy, if not some support, however minimal, from those of us who believe, however naïve, that justice should be not just be blind, but fair.

And it wouldn’t hurt anyone if those of us who believe in our country and its principles were likewise fair.