Fire merit commission withdraws offer of employment to fired Muncie police officer

MUNCIE, Ind. — A fired Muncie police officer's bid to become a city firefighter appeared to come to an abrupt end Thursday evening.

In a 4-0 vote, the Muncie Fire Merit Commission withdrew a conditional offer of employment that had been recently been made to Jonathan Powell.

Andrew Dale, president of the fire merit commission, noted in early April that the conditional offer was only the first step in an extended hiring process that would include a background check. Powell was one of about 25 candidates to receive such an offer.

The Muncie Police Merit Commission on Feb. 8 fired Powell and another city officer, Lance Clay, over their alleged dealings with cocaine. Those allegations did not result in the filing of criminal charges.

Powell had joined the police department in 2016.

More: Two Muncie police officers fired over cocaine allegations

In withdrawing the offer of employment to Powell on Thursday, the fire merit commission did not refer to the circumstances that ended his employment as a police officer. Instead, commission members said he had failed to submit a completed job application.

Commission member Andrew Popp abstained from the vote to withdraw the job offer, noting he was a longtime friend of Powell's family.

In another action taken at Thursday's meeting, the commission voted 5-0 to fire city firefighter Benjamin Renz.

According to the commission's findings, Renz — while participating in IU Health Lifeline paramedic training — made "inappropriate advances of a sexual nature toward female classmates that were lewd, indecent, obscene and sexually suggestive."

"His misconduct included directing sexual jokes and making sexual innuendo toward a female classmate that continued even after she expressly told him to stop," the document states.

In terminating Renz, commission members called his behavior "immoral" and "unbecoming a firefighter."

Prior to the dismissal vote in the public meeting, the commission in executive session had conducted a hearing on the allegations against Renz.

In addition to Dale and Popp, commission members include Qiana Clemens, Linda Gray and Mike Whited.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Fire commission withdraws job offer to fired Muncie police officer