Luzerne County Government

April 16, 2010

Griffith: License twice suspended

He says county driver’s first suspension ran from May 2008 to November 2009.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith said he obtained records that show a county van driver had a suspended license during much of her county employment, and he is pressing commissioners to take action so it doesn’t happen again.

The vans, operated jointly with Wyoming County, provide transportation for the elderly and those with physical and mental disabilities.

Griffith released Pennsylvania Department of Transportation records Thursday showing that van driver Heather Dourand, who was hired as a full-time driver in February 2008, had a license suspension that went into effect May 19, 2008.

Dourand’s license was not restored until Nov. 18, 2009, the state record shows.

Another suspension took effect Dec. 23, 2009, and her license was restored on Feb. 12, the record says.

The record refers to a failure to respond to vehicle code violations on July 1, 2007, and Dec. 7, 2007. District court records say Dourand pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle without a valid inspection on the first date and to driving 19 mph over the speed limit.

Dourand could not be reached for comment Thursday. One county official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Dourand is maintaining she did not receive notification of any suspensions from the state and had been unaware of any problems with her license.

Griffith said he presented his findings to all three commissioners on Thursday.

“If she was driving a van with a suspended license and didn’t tell the county, she should be terminated,” Griffith said.

He said he is frustrated because he has been pressing the administration to take action since he discovered that Dourand’s license had been suspended in early February. A tip prompted him to obtain driver’s license checks of county van drivers at the time.

Dourand was removed from driving the day Griffith announced his discovery, pending further disciplinary review, but commissioners have not publicly approved any disciplinary action.

County Chief Clerk/Manager Doug Pape said nobody should be discussing pending personnel matters in public.

“Her license is reinstated, so there’s nothing preventing her from driving at this point. We’re still reviewing the matter with the union. There has to be a due process with the union contract,” Pape said.

Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said a county solicitor is reviewing the paperwork and will make a recommendation to commissioners.

Commissioner Thomas Cooney said the administration is taking the matter seriously.

“These kinds of irregularities cannot go unaddressed,” he said.

Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban said he believes the driver should be terminated and transportation supervisors must be questioned. He also wants to know why the suspension was not picked up when Dourand was involved in an accident on May 12, 2009. The state report lists the accident, but stressed the listing of the accident does not mean the driver was at fault.

“I believe employees have a responsibility to notify the agency of suspensions,” Urban said. “This puts the county at risk.”

Griffith said he believes the controller has a right to question the licensing status of all employees who use county vehicles because the county’s insurance rate could increase.

“If we don’t have a policy mandating periodic license checks and somebody gets in an accident, what is our liability? I’m concerned about the cost factor if something happens,” Griffith said, noting that his department is willing to perform checks at the request of commissioners.

County Transportation Department Director Anthony DePolo recently said his office checks driver’s licenses every six months but will be switching to monthly reviews.

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