A former officer with theĀ Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionĀ is suing for his job back, saying he was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing.
Travis HookerĀ filed suit last week in Leon County Circuit Civil Court under the state’s whistleblower law.Ā The decorated combat Marine, who was stationed in Iraq,Ā was aĀ lieutenant in the FWCās law enforcement division.
HeĀ alleged that his OctoberĀ 2015 firing came after alerting superiors thatĀ another officer was attending his son’s Little League games while on duty.
TheĀ suit says the proof is in computer-aided dispatch records that show the individual logged in as working, but at the baseball fields.
Instead, Hooker himself got in trouble because he declined to name other FWC employeesĀ who had tippedĀ him off.
Instead of investigating the other employee, FWC officials triedĀ to “damage (Hooker’s) reputation,ā according to an earlier court filing.
Hooker was paid $52,601 a year, according to aĀ stateĀ salary database. He is represented by several lawyers, including Tallahassee attorney Steve Andrews.
AnĀ FWC spokesman declined a request for comment, saying the agency does not weigh inĀ on pendingĀ litigation.
