‘Unfortunate oversight.’ Fayette jail worker threatened violence, faced no discipline
A Fayette County jail employee threatened to punch a staff member in the face and slap another, but the jail failed to reprimand her despite orders to do so, according to documents obtained by the Herald-Leader.
Several employees reported Cpl. Chelsea Ryan threatened staff members with violence, including vowing to “slap the country bumpkin” out of the voice of one jail employee. The complaints were filed last year after an argument July 4, 2024.
Jail command staff were ordered by the city’s human resources department to reprimand Ryan, but failed to do so within the mandated 45 days, so the complaint was dropped.
Susan Straub, spokesperson for the city, called it an unfortunate oversight.
“The fact remains that Cpl. Ryan was found in violation of our policy, which should serve as a reminder that her behavior was not acceptable, and should not be repeated,” Straub said.
Ryan was still employed at the jail as of Tuesday. Termination was not recommended as part of her discipline, Straub said.
The jail did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning.
The incidents involving Ryan happened a year before several lawsuits were filed by former employees accusing the jail of sexual harassment, discrimination and other complaints.
What the complaints allege
The threats came after Ryan and an employee were involved in an argument, according to investigation documents.
Ryan was visibly upset and was overheard commenting she wanted to “punch” the employee in the face by other staff members.
Sgt. Justin Waters told human resources he thought he heard Ryan say, “punch her in her brown face,” but that claim was never substantiated.
Waters overheard the comment and spoke with Sgt. Nancy Quinette, who was also present during the comments.
When he asked Quinette about it, she responded, “You didn’t hear that, did you?”
Waters believed Quinette did not want to deal with the comment, and that was her way of telling him to ignore it, according to the investigation documents.
During the investigation into Water’s complaints, Quinette confirmed she said this, but in efforts to “make light of it and try to calm her down,” according to the city’s findings published August 12, 2024.
Ryan was also overheard making comments about another employee, and said she wanted to “slap the country bumpkin out of her voice,” documents show.
Ryan confirmed to human resources that she did make this comment, but said it was only a “joke.”
The human resources division substantiated the claim of violence in the workplace against Ryan, and ordered a written reprimand be issued by the detention center within 45 days.
However, the jail did not issue the reprimand, according to documents obtained from the city. Therefore, the complaint was dismissed.
The employee at the center of the complaints resigned from the jail in March.
“We are in a field where we are supposed to serve and protect,” the former employee told the Herald-Leader. “If we aren’t protecting our people or our staff, what are we doing?”
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 10:02 AM.
