A Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy was fired last month for sexual harassment and lying, documents show.
Frank Rhodes, a sergeant who joined the force in 2009, was fired on June 6. Rhodes’ personnel file shows he was fired for incidents in 2023 and 2024, but was previously disciplined for dishonesty, poor performance and improper use of force.
Between November 2023 and January 2024, Rhodes sent numerous sexually explicit text messages to a subordinate employee who worked directly for him, according to a termination letter. He also asked the woman to meet him outside of work for sex, and the woman feared losing her work assignment, according to the documents.
In a separate disciplinary case, Rhodes downplayed the meaning of the LGBTQ+ acronym and did not refer to it appropriately in training during the week of Aug. 28, 2023, according to the termination letter.
Rhodes also lied multiple times in internal affairs interviews about his texts with the employee he harassed, and about events he worked, according to the letter.
The records show a trail of discipline dating back to 2011. Despite the reprimands, Rhodes was promoted to corporal in 2013 and promoted to sergeant in 2021. He worked in the jail before becoming a first-shift patrol sergeant.
Rhodes was recruited from a group of deputy and corrections officers laid off from Hamilton, Lorain, and Montgomery counties in 2009. He worked at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s office from Aug. 9, 2007, to Dec. 24, 2008, when he was laid off, according to his job application.
In 2020, Rhodes received a written reprimand for not stopping two other deputies from trading items with inmates. Another reprimand he received for turning in a use of force report late was rescinded for procedural reasons — Rhodes was not given appropriate time to consult with a union representative, a violation of his employment contract.
In 2016, Rhodes was suspended for three days after he deployed a stun gun on a juvenile, according to sheriff’s office records. The department wrote that the juvenile was not a threat, and Rhodes did not attempt to subdue the suspect in a different way. Rhodes also did not retrieve property from the juvenile before entering a police facility, and was bit on the hand when he attempted to retrieve his cellphone, records state.
That suspension was reduced to a one-day suspension following a union grievance, and Rhodes was given back pay for two days worked.
In 2015, Rhodes received a written reprimand for failing to report other employees’ misconduct, and a one-day suspension for failing to secure doors in a jail, resulting in an inmate walking around outside the common area. Rhodes then lied and told supervisors he did not know who the inmate was, sheriff’s records state. He was also disciplined that year for his involvement in a traffic crash.
On March 10, 2011, Rhodes was disciplined for “failing to comply with office regulations/policies/directives.” He received a second reprimand on Nov. 2 that year, also for failing to comply with policies. It’s unclear what policies he violated.
Rhodes’ termination June 6 came just before the firing of two Columbus police officers. Donovan Bever was fired June 10 for excessive use of force against a Black teen, and Robert Spann was fired June 12 for having sex with a grocery store employee while assigned to a security detail for the store.
Bethany Bruner contributed to this report.
bagallion@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin Co. Sheriff’s deputy Frank Rhodes fired for sexual harassment
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