Tenn. officers involved in sex scandal reprimanded before

By Daniel Smithson, Brendan Tierney and Courtney Allen

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    LA VERGNE, Tennessee (WSMV) — Personnel files obtained by WSMV4 show many of the La Vergne police officers involved in a shocking sex scandal had at least one disciplinary action taken against them in the past.

WSMV4 received a copy of the city records for the five La Vergne Police Department officers who were fired and the three officers who were suspended as part of the investigation that made national and international headlines earlier this month.

The investigation found officers within the department’s evening shift were having sex with each other while on duty and on city property. The investigative report also highlighted a raucous hot tub party and the exchange of explicit naked photos between officers.

The investigation started Dec. 12 after La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole received a tip that Officer Maegan Hall was having intimate relationships with other members of the department, according to a 20-page report. Those employees include Sgt. Lewis Powell, Officer Patrick Magliocco, Officer Larry Holladay, Detective Seneca Shields and Officer Juan Lugo-Perez.

All of the men admitted to having undisclosed sexual relationships with Hall, an investigative report said. The details of the investigation can be found here.

The newly released files WSMV4 got through an open records request show some of the officers involved had previous policy violations including speeding and smoking in patrol vehicles, using work computers for personal matters and most shocking, another sexual conduct investigation. Summaries of those files are listed below:

Maegan Hall, hired by the La Vergne Police Department in 2020, was fired in connection to the sex investigation. Her personnel file shows despite being reprimanded several times for being involved in numerous crashes while in her patrol vehicle, Hall received annual pay raises from the department.

On Dec. 21, 2021, Hall responded to a threat of a gun on Tot Drive. Administrators said Hall was speeding down Floyd Mayfield Drive and hit a dip in the road at an intersection. An email in Hall’s personnel file said the incident damaged her patrol vehicle. She was “spoken to” about driving too fast, according to the email. She was suspended without pay for one day.

On July 14, 2022, Hall was involved in a crash at the intersection of Waldron Road and Murfreesboro Road. An email said while in her patrol vehicle, she tried to merge right while waiting on the vehicle in front of her to enter the flow of traffic. The email said she thought the vehicle in front of her had accelerated, when it had in fact stopped. The crash caused between $3,000 and $4,000 worth of damage between both vehicles.

Hall was required to be tested for alcohol. She passed a breathalyzer test.

he was given a one-day suspension without pay. An employee conduct notice said she could be fired if another crash occurred.

On Oct. 21, 2022, Hall was leaving the La Vergne police station to respond to an alleged assault. She pulled out of the station and tried to cross lanes of traffic with her lights and sirens on. A van did not have time to yield and hit Hall’s patrol vehicle. Hall was injured in the crash and transported by ambulance to Stonecrest Medical Center. The Tennessee Highway Patrol found Hall at fault for the crash. She was given a four-day suspension without pay for the incident. An employee conduct notice said Hall would be fired if she was involved in another preventable crash within a year.

She was making about $53,000 before she was fired.

Seneca Shields, a 10-year La Vergne Police Department officer and detective, was fired in connection to the sex investigation.

His personnel file shows he was warned for using a company computer to send a personal email in 2017. He was also reprimanded for violating a pursuit policy the same year.

Shields’ patrol vehicle was taken away from him for not getting an oil change and was written up for it, according to his personnel file.

Sgt. Henry Ty McGowan, who was employed by the La Vergne Police Department for nearly two decades, was fired in connection to the sex investigation. His personnel file shows he was involved in a previous sexual conduct investigation. He was suspended without pay for the incident. His rank was reduced at that point in his career.

Juan Lugo-Perez, who was employed by the La Vergne Police Department since 2018, was fired in connection to the sex investigation.

His personnel file shows he was given a written warning in January 2022 for seizing a suspect’s phone to get a search warrant without submitting or logging the evidence. In 2021, he was given a written warning for not activating his lights and sirens during a high speed chase, according to documents. Perez was written up for speeding in a patrol call in 2019.

Lewis Powell, who was hired by the La Vergne Police Department in 2008, was fired in connection to the sex investigation. His personnel file shows no other known disciplinary actions.

Larry Holiday, hired by the La Vergne Police Department in 2016, was punished with a two-week unpaid suspension related to the sex scandal. He will return to work Jan. 21.

His personnel file shows he’s a K9 officer. He was written up once for smoking in his car. He has several notes of praise in his file.

Patrick Magliocco, hired by the La Vergne Police Department in 2021, was punished with a two-week unpaid suspension related to the sex scandal. He will return to work Feb. 2. His personnel file shows no other known disciplinary actions.

Gavin Schoeberl, hired by the La Vergne Police Department in 2021 was punished with a one-week unpaid suspension related to the sex scandal. His personnel file shows no other known disciplinary actions. He returns to work Jan. 20.

WSMV 4 has tried to reach officers involved in the sex investigation to get their side of the story. We have not heard back.

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