By Bob Peryea
CORRESPONDENT
The Town of Delavan Police and Fire Commission decided Dec. 18 to terminate Officer Jeremiah Burdick.
“Upon the foregoing findings it is hereby ordered that Jeremiah Burdick is removed as an officer of the Town of Delavan Police Department and his employment is hereby terminated,” the commission wrote in a statement Dec. 19.
Police Chief Phillip Chief Phil Smith placed Burdick on administrative leave and recommended his termination after the Aug. 12 incident at the Vegas Gentlemen’s Club in the Town of Darien. The Police and Fire Commission conducted a hearing and decided to terminate Burdick. Burdick disputed the decision, and the commission conducted a hearing Dec. 10 at Delavan City Hall to consider Burdick’s appeal.
Burdick was accused of using his badge to enter the club, drinking from another patron’s drink, getting in an altercation and urinating in the parking lot. Walworth County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to the scene that night and helped Burdick find a way home.
During a daylong hearing Dec. 10, Burdick said he didn’t remember many of the details of that night. His attorney, Scott Schroeder, of Janesville, said “a perfect storm” had brewed in Burdick’s life – his ex-girlfriend was suing him for child support, his father was accused of child molestation, he feared his own child may have been harmed and he was exhausted from caring for his father’s affairs during David Burdick’s trial.
Attorney Jim Korom, of Burlington, representing Smith and the Police Department, called many of Burdick’s assertions into question including his hazy memory. Korom alleged that Burdick didn’t inquire about the events of that night despite the fact that he had to be brought back to his car.
“The only reason someone wouldn’t ask a lot of questions is if they remember most of it,” Korom said.
Schroeder said Burdick had taken an Ambien, a prescription sleep aid, earlier in the evening and that the drug had interacted with the alcohol to cause Burdick to behave erratically.
Korom, however, said Burdick drank heavily for several years while he took Ambien and didn’t mention the Ambien until a month or more into the investigation.
In its official statement, the commission said it did not believe and would not ignore Burdick’s explanations or behaviors.
Commission members said the evidence against Burdick pointed to the violation of 13 statutes, rules, ordinances or policies. They also said Burdick knew that his conduct would violate those rules.
“Burdick’s behavior, particularly in connection with the investigation of the Aug. 12, 2012, incident led to a loss of trust of him by fellow officers in the department,” the report reads.
The report says Burdick’s conduct “may impair future prosecutions,” reflected “poorly” on the department and that it was “not commensurate with his duty as a police officer.”
