Thursday, June 16, 2022

HOW MUCH OF A PIECE OF SHIT DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO LOSE YOUR PENSION ?

by Bob Walsh

 

Swaim gets 10-year sentence for child molestation
                                                  Former CHP officer Johnnie Swaim
 

There seems to be little doubt that a peace officer can and should lose his pension for felony bad behavior in the course of his official duties.  The question here is should he lose his pension for off-duty conduct?

The piece of shit in question is Johnnie Swaim, 56.  He stopped working for the CHP in 2011 and has been a guest of the state for some time for (among other allegations) compelling-coercing his daughters to orally copulate him beginning when they were between about five to ten years old.    He was convicted of four felonies relating to this in 2013 in Imperial County.  He appealed, protesting his innocence all the while.  

An appeals court did drop some of the charges but did not reduce his sentence and upheld other charges.  He was released from state custody in 2020.  

Last year CalPERS reduced his pension by a huge amount due to the felony convictions.  An ALJ has decided in Swaim's favor and the CalPERS board of administration is due to accept or not accept that recommendation pretty much any day now.  

Swaim filed for retirement in 2015 based on his employment from 1988 thru 2011.  He was receiving as much as $8,250 a month.  An ethics complaint made in the matter caused CalPERS to re-evaluate his pension.

A female niece and a female cousin have both made similar allegations against Swaim, though those incidents allegedly occurred before his employment as a peace officer.  He was tried and acquitted of those charges.  

I am unsure how I feel about this.  It is very sleazy but the offenses for which he was convicted were not in any way related to his job performance so, if I were in a position to have a say, I would vote to let him have his full pension based on his years of service.     

2 comments:

Trey said...

How much of his pension did OJ Simpson lose? Historically, loss of public pension has been filed if the bad conduct was related to the job. There is no doubt that the guy is a nasty dirt bag, but he earned his pension.

bob walsh said...

The board voted to reinstate his full pension rights.