Board of Works suspends GPD detective without pay

The longest-serving current member of the Greencastle City Police Department was placed on administrative leave without pay Wednesday in action by the Board of Public Works and Safety.

Det. Capt. Randy Seipel was put on leave, effective immediately, and was ordered to turn over all police department-issued items, including his gun, badge and vehicle.

The 49-year-old Seipel was arrested Thursday, May 26 on two Class A misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated as he drove his personal car along U.S. 40 near Dan Jones Road in Plainfield just before 10 p.m.

During a 20-minute special session of the board, City Police Chief Tom Sutherlin restated the facts of the case, as provided by the Hendricks County Sheriff's Department. He reported that a portable breath test at the scene indicated a .221 percent blood-alcohol measure for Seipel, while a second, certified test a short time later pegged his blood-alcohol level at .201 percent.

"I would like to say," Chief Sutherlin noted in prefacing his recommendation, "that in my 25 years, nobody in this department has been charged with a crime."

Mayor Bill Dory, one of two Board of Works members present Wednesday at City Hall (Craig Tuggle being the other), then asked Chief Sutherlin for his recommendation.

Sutherlin's recommendation was that Seipel be placed on administrative leave without pay, pending the outcome of his criminal proceedings in Hendricks County.

Before that was turned into a formal motion of the board, Seipel was given the chance to make a statement.

The 28-year GPD veteran first stressed that he was fully cooperative during the arrest and didn't try to talk his way out of anything.

He also disclosed that he has been suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), calling it a "work-related illness," and saying he told the chief that he "needed help" three months ago.

Seipel said he has been paying for his own treatment, and that being suspended without pay would make it impossible for him to continue doing so.

Instead of being put on leave without pay, Seipel suggested that he be assigned to the evidence room at GPD, where he could purge any unnecessary items and "ensure a smooth transition" for the next officer when his already announced retirement takes place. He said under such an arrangement he would have no need for a police vehicle or a firearm.

Seipel indicated his PTSD condition "started during the homicide investigation." That was undoubtedly in reference to the 2011 homicide in which 85-year-old Essie McVey was killed in her Greencastle condo. That case remains unsolved and Seipel has been on record as calling it the most frustrating case of his career.

Asked pointedly if he had requested "specific help" from the department or the chief, Seipel said he had not.

Responding to a question from City Attorney Laurie Hardwick, Seipel also indicated he did not file nor request any paperwork for Workmen's Compensation due to his reported condition.

Mayor Dory then made the motion for unpaid leave that will continue until the case in Hendricks County is resolved. Tuggle added an affirmative vote. The third member of the board, local attorney Trudy Selvia, did not attend the special session, citing a potential conflict of interest in her work as a public defender.

Seipel will continue to receive insurance during the leave, but must pay his portion of the premium, just like any other city employee, Hardwick noted.

"Is there a time limit for appeal?" Seipel asked after the vote.

There is no specific appeal process, Hardwick said, relevant to the Board of Works action, which falls under Indiana Code 36-8-3-4.

Basically, Mayor Dory pointed out, any further action must wait until the legal process is complete in Hendricks County.

In that case, Seipel was arrested by Deputy Christopher Love of the Hendricks County Sheriff's Department, and has been charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with endangerment and operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to .15 percent or greater.

He was also cited for speeding (a Class C infraction of exceeding 30 mph in an urban district), which led to Deputy Love stopping Seipel's own 2012 Chevrolet Malibu after the car was clocked at 56 mph on U.S. 40 at Carr Road in Plainfield. Stopped a short time later on U.S. 40 at Dan Jones Road, Seipel told the officer he was returning to Greencastle from Indianapolis.

After subsequently failing three field sobriety tests, Seipel was taken to the Hendricks County Jail at Danville at approximately 10 p.m.

He later bonded out and waived an initial court hearing.