The captain of a Williamson County sheriff has resigned and two other deputies have been suspended on charges of sexual harassment, News4 Investigates confirmed.
The sanctions and resignation are the latest developments in our ongoing investigation into the sexual harassment complaints of seven employees in the department.
The resignation and suspensions come after MP Jessica Haynes filed two lawsuits in 2019 and 2021.
In the 2019 trial, Haynes accused his former supervisor, Captain Mark Wainwright, of “reprehensible and disgusting” sexual harassment, for repeatedly commenting on his body and making other sexual comments.
Haynes also said Wainwright kissed her and attempted to kiss her.
A lawyer from the sheriff’s office confirmed that after the sheriff’s office learned of the lawsuit, they began to investigate and dismissed Wainwright from a supervisory position.
Wainwright’s record shows that he later retired during the investigation, although the department’s attorney also described it as a resignation.
Because Wainwright resigned, the investigation was never successful.
News4 Investigates made multiple attempts to reach Wainwright by phone, email and social media, but did not get a response before our deadline.
Haynes then filed another complaint in 2021, claiming that a USB drive, filled with pornography, was left on his computer at work
A Sheriff’s Department investigation showed that the drive, which contained more than 18,000 pornographic images, belonged to Sgt. David Hellstrom.
Hellstrom wrote as part of the investigation that the USB drive was left in the computer by mistake and that he did not intend to harm it.
The investigation also showed MP Daniel Poff said he accessed the USB drive by mistake and did not report it because he did not want to be “a snitch”.
Hellstorm and Poff both received a five-day suspension without pay.
News4 Investigates asked to interview Hellstrom, Poff and Sheriff Dusty Rhoades, but the department’s attorney said they couldn’t speak due to the ongoing trial.
The record also shows that once the USB drive investigation started, investigators also began to investigate Haynes herself.
Citing that investigators began looking through security cameras to identify who left the USB drive on the computer where Haynes worked as a school resource manager, they discovered Haynes had come to school on a Sunday in her county-issued car, although it isn’t. service and was not wearing his uniform.
The investigation showed that Haynes and a teacher then got out, and the teacher took pictures of Haynes in his county-issued vehicle with the lights on.
This investigation ultimately found repeated instances of Haynes’ unauthorized use of a county vehicle and incorrect scorecards.
Haynes was ultimately suspended, without pay, for ten days, and her lawyer said she was also suspended with pay while the investigation was ongoing.
Haynes disputes the findings of the investigation in his trial, calling them “technical violations” and claims the punishment was retaliation for coming out in his first trial.
In the 2021 trial, Haynes also accused other officers of sexual harassment and said an human resources employee witnessed it and laughed.
The department’s attorney said those charges were never shared with the sheriff’s department and were only included in the trial.
News4 Investigates also asked to interview Haynes herself, but her lawyer said its policy is not to allow clients to do interviews while awaiting litigation.
