State police officer fired in sex case

An Arkansas State Police corporal has been fired four months after he and a Faulkner County sheriff's office investigator were found having sex on the job, according to state police.

The state police released documents Tuesday showing that Special Agent Cpl. Jassen C. Travis, an eight-year veteran of the agency assigned to its criminal investigations division, had violated rules of conduct.

According to a termination letter dated Saturday, Travis broke a rule on truthfulness and a rule prohibiting sexual conduct on duty. The letter states that Travis, who worked out of the sheriff's office in Conway, admitted to having sex with sheriff's office investigator Shannon Cook in his office Jan. 9. During an internal investigation, Travis lied to a supervisor about whether he'd had previous sexual contact with Cook, according to the letter.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained documents about the case from the state and county agencies through the state's Freedom of Information Act.

State police spokesman Bill Sadler said Travis has appealed his firing.

Cook resigned Jan. 12 after the sheriff's office investigated the report and upheld a complaint of misconduct against her. She had been hired full time in November 2012 and had been the lone investigator in the sheriff's office's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.

Travis had been on administrative leave since Jan. 9, with part of that paid leave, the agency said. Travis was on assignment with the Arkansas National Guard for part of the four months, and that portion of his leave was not paid by the state police, the agency said.

Attempts to reach Cook and Travis for comment were unsuccessful. Phone numbers were redacted in personnel files, and working numbers could not be found in directories. The only other listed number for Travis has been disconnected.

Metro on 05/13/2015

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