The Lauderdale-by-the-Sea chief has filed a police report regarding two employees who he said he caught stealing.
Suspecting something was amiss, Chief Judson Hopping set up cameras at the department, WPLG reported.
He became suspicious when he noticed Deputy Chief John Louvaris was paid for a call he didn’t respond to. “I was on shift and he was not there, but she gave him credit for it.”
The chief was talking about Cheryl Louvaris, the deputy chief’s wife, one of two fulltime employees.
“I have her on camera talking to her husband, who was sitting in the office with her. She kept telling him, ‘you were on this call, sign this’ and she went to hand him the sheet, and someone came in the office and she pulls it back,” he told a reporter.
He said the majority of department membership voted to fire John Louvaris. Cheryl Louvaris was fired for this as well as for showing a firefighters his, and another firefighter’s, personal and confidential information.
The Broward County Sherrif's Office is investigating.
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea officials are currently negotiating with Pompano Beach to provide fire services, a move that could occur this summer.
