CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former Charleston Police Chief Tyke Hunt, who is no longer a member of the department, was awarded a medical disability pension by the department’s pension board on Friday.
Tyke Hunt
“He officially retired today for medical reasons,” board attorney John D’Ascoli said after the vote.
Hunt will receive $6,038 a month starting July 1, based on his more than 19 years of service.
Hunt was placed back on paid sick leave in May after serving a 20-day suspension for violating police department policy. He has been accused of inappropriate behavior by two women, once while he was an inspector and once while he was chief. An internal investigation resulted in Hunt being suspended without pay for 10 days for each sexual misconduct allegation made against him. The investigation also resulted in Hunt being demoted from lieutenant to corporal.
The four-person panel, made up of two current and two retired police officers, voted 4-0 on Friday to find Hunt disabled, then voted 3-0 that his pension should be considered an off-duty disability pension.
Mr D’Ascoli said two doctors agreed Hunt was disabled.
“It starts with the diagnosis of the primary physician, then it moves on to another physician, and if both physicians agree there is an impairment, the board has a nondiscretionary obligation to approve, and that’s what happened in this case,” D’Ascoli said.
Hunt, who runs a construction business with his brother, underwent back surgery last year.
The committee has the option to choose between on-duty or off-duty. The off-duty decision would see Hunt receive 60% of his previous salary, but the additional income would be capped at $18,200.
D’Ascoli said Hunt’s disability prohibits him from working as a police officer.
“If someone is actually working contrary to a doctor’s diagnosis, that could be grounds for the suspension of their disability pension,” he said.
D’Ascoli said there are provisions in state law that can result in a pension being denied — fraud or theft, for example — and a rarely used provision that allows a person to challenge the payment of a state pension.
Mr D’Ascoli said Mr Hunt’s pension benefit was just below the higher-than-normal 20-year pension.
“If you’ve had a long, formal career and have been making a decent wage, a formal retirement plan may be a better option depending on what’s going on in and out of work, but it depends on each individual case and the circumstances of each individual’s work history,” Dascoli said.
Hunt did not attend the hearing. He was called by the committee. Hunt then asked for a closed hearing. The board vote took place after the executive session.