CONWAY -- Police have begun a criminal investigation after the city fired two employees of the Conway Municipal Airport over what the city described as dishonesty and rule violations.
Josh Zylks, airport manager, and Brandy Parrott, airport line supervisor, were dismissed March 13, according to documents obtained under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
Mayor Bart Castleberry said Monday that his chief of staff, Jack Bell, is serving as interim manager. A city airport committee plans a search for a permanent successor, the mayor said.
City Attorney Chuck Clawson said earlier that the Conway Police Department was investigating the matter.
Neither Zylks nor Parrott could be reached for comment. Neither has a phone listing in Conway directory assistance, their cellphone numbers were unavailable, and Parrott did not immediately respond to a Facebook message seeking comment.
In a two-page memorandum sent to Castleberry and Conway Police Chief Jody Spradlin on March 15, police Lt. Mike Walsh summarized a March 13 interview he had with Zylks. Accompanying the summary were video and audio recordings of the interview.
According to Walsh, Zylks, a salaried worker who did not get overtime, had indicated he performed duties outside normal hours for pilots and plane owners that other employees normally handled. The city bills the owner for fuel costs plus a separate $60 "callout fee" to help cover overtime expenses.
"Josh would perform these tasks and put two hours of overtime on other employees' timesheets so they could collect the fee for a service they did not provide. In return, they would give $40 to Josh for handling the callout," Walsh wrote. The employees would keep some money to cover income taxes and other expenses, Walsh wrote.
"Josh advised that he is responsible for about one-third to one-half of the early and late callouts," Walsh said.
Zylks also told Walsh that he "does not hold employees accountable for working a full [40-hour] week and allows them to work less without making proper adjustments on their timesheets," according to the memo.
Walsh said he had talked with Zylks about allegations that Parrott used a mobile credit- or debit-card reader to accept direct payments from customers for the $60 callout fees. Zylks told Walsh that this had occurred 20 to 25 times. Zylks said he also had done this 15 to 20 times, Walsh wrote.
According to the memo, Zylks, who had a city vehicle, also told Walsh that Parrott's city-owned vehicle was not necessary.
"He [Zylks] suspects she uses it for personal use because he confirmed that her personal car has been in storage at the airport for about a year" even though "He believes it to be in working order."
Zylks also told Walsh that fuel for the city-owned vehicles was paid with a card, but that he and Parrott also had keys to the city street department's fuel pumps.
According to city documents, Zylks' annual salary was $63,036 based on just over $30 an hour. The records show that Parrott made just over $17.16 an hour and took home an annual salary of $35,701.53.
State Desk on 03/26/2019