SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A Spokane police officer fired in 2009 after driving drunk while off duty, hitting a pickup with his truck and leaving the scene of the collision is likely to be rehired and get more than two years of back pay — totaling about $275,000.
The Spokesman Review reports (http://bit.ly/zIm8wO ) that in a settlement mediated by the Washington State Human Rights Commission, Brad Thoma will be rehired March 1 in a demoted position of detective — if the Spokane City Council agrees to the deal on Monday.
Prior to his firing in December 2009, Thoma was a sergeant.
Under the agreement, the city will also pay his attorney $15,000. Thoma’s attorney, Bob Dunn, argues that job-related stress led Thoma to alcoholism and should be regarded as a disability.
