TOLEDO, Ohio — The human resources department is recommending discipline for a Lucas County Canine Care & Control (LC4) employee who was suspended last month after the release of a video showing her potentially abusing dogs.
According to the commissioners' spokesperson, Sarah Elms, the county HR is asking for 10 days suspension for LC4 employee Mehgan Yunker, with three days unpaid and seven days held in abeyance, or temporarily set aside.
Yunker is a member of AFSCME and according to the county, "per her collective bargaining agreement, the union has requested a pre-disciplinary meeting be scheduled. Once that meeting takes place, the LC4 director will make a written decision to either uphold the proposed discipline or reduce it."
Sherrie Littin, an LC4 volunteer, told 11 investigates that she submitted a public records request on July 11 of Yunker spraying dogs and smacking them in the face on July 10.
She received that video on Aug. 9 and posted it on social media. Yunker was eventually placed on administrative leave.
On Aug. 29, 11 Investigates interviewed then-warden Kelly Sears, who was fired by a unanimous vote from the commissioners during the board's meeting Tuesday.
When asked when Sears found out about the video, she said, "I looked at it that day, however, my video... I have no way to zoom in or see anything more than at a distance."
When asked about her thoughts of the video when she did see it, Sears told 11 Investigates, "So, from what I could see was that (the dog) Shrimp tried to jump up and bite her in the back of the head and grab her ponytail. I did see her push him onto the ground."
According to county records, Yunker began working at LC4 in February 2023.
An investigative report into the July 10 incident sent to 11 investigates by Lucas County Commissioners Tuesday afternoon included multiple exhibits, including an email from warden Kelly Sears recommending Yunker be disciplined, "to the highest extent possible that the Union will allow."
The county told 11 Investigates that the union, "May file a grievance, which would follow the grievance procedure outlined in the collective bargaining agreement. Should that happen, a grievance hearing will be scheduled, and the Board of Lucas County Commissioners will make a final decision after that hearing."
According to a written statement Yunker submitted to the Lucas County Commissioners, Yunker said she sprayed the dog in question as a deterrence with water that was not temperature hot or of a high pressure.
"I always try to discourage such behavior verbally as seen in the footage, however, it is such a loud room, this is often ineffective," Yunker said.
She said the dog that she sprayed with water attempted to bite her neck, which did not break her skin. Yunker says she didn't report the incident because she did not want to see that dog euthanized.
In another situation the same day, Yunker said a different dog became aggressive as she was attempting to clean that dog's cage. She said she used her shoulder to keep him in.
Kelly Sears was asked by the County to respond to the different Facebook videos that show Yunker's interactions with the dogs in the kennel.
Regarding the dog in the cage in which she claimed to use her shoulder to keep the dog from exiting its cage, Sears said she would recommend a written reprimand.
Sears said Yunker's actions could have been caused by frustration on her part, and LC4 has clear rules about the mishandling of dogs as a fireable offense.
Sears was also asked about the Facebook video showing Yunker spraying a dog with water. Sears said that the spraying of a dog was "inhumane" because the cages are cleaned with hot water. She said that she would have recommended Yunker be terminated for spraying the dog with water.
The county inquired with the Toledo Humane Society to determine if any of the accusations were potential acts of animal cruelty. The director of the Toledo Humane Society, Steven Heaven, said that the behavior did not constitute animal cruelty, but he "emphasized the need for discussion with the employee, as dogs typically dislike being sprayed in confined spaces."
The county also determined that the claim by Yunker that the water was cold when she sprayed the dog was not true. The county said the water temperature issue was resolved before the Facebook video was taken. It said there could have been a delay in the hot water, but that doesn't justify spraying a dog with water.
Tara Fusco, founder of the "Lucas County Dogs Deserve Better" Facebook page, brought forth allegations to 11 Investigates in June. She had been investigating LC4 and Sears herself, since 2020, submitting dozens of documents from LC4 into the whereabouts of dogs after they left LC4 or were euthanized.
Fusco alleged LC4 operated with a lack of transparency with its records and record keeping, and even has a case before the Ohio Supreme Court, she said, due to the county not turning over the documents she requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
11 Investigates contacted Fusco Tuesday afternoon after the commissioners' decision to fire Sears.
"It's been four years of tracking down manipulated statistics and inconsistencies in LC4's policies and practices. It has cost many dogs their lives," Fusco said. "Today, Lucas County took the first step in the right direction."
(Editor's note: This article has been clarified to reflect that the human resources department recommended the suspension of former LC4 employee Mehgan Yunker.)
MORE FROM 11 INVESTIGATES: