Sep 24, 2008 8:11 pm US/Eastern
I-Team: Trooper Gone Fishing Explains Himself
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Massachusetts State Trooper Terry Nugent is the captain of his fishing business, Riptide Charters.
WBZ
A state trooper caught by our I-Team
calling in sick to fish surfaces in his own defense. Terry Nugent is accused of calling in sick on several occasions to run his business,
"Riptide Charters," and fishing.
On the water, Nugent is the man who captains the Riptide. On land, he wears the uniform of a state trooper for Massachusetts State Police Department.
When WBZ's I-Team went to speak with Nugent at his Bourne home, the shades were quickly pulled. We even called him, but Trooper Nugent didn't surface until after our report when he made a post online.
In part, Terry Nugent writes: "At this point, internal affairs has not found grounds to charge me with any wrongdoing let alone find me at fault. Rest assured that if I were to be found in violation regarding the hours in question, I would most certainly be punished. It would seem that my honesty in posting details of my daily agenda may in turn be the lynch pin in this investigation."
The I-Team compared Riptide's daily posts on the fishing chartroom "Surftalk" to his recent payroll records and found him taking his own advice "take a day off, call in sick" cause the fishing season is too short.
There were 30 sick days in the past year-and-a-half. This fishing season alone, eight of the 11 days he called in sick he was out on the water casting a line.
Northeastern University professor Jack Greene says this is a clear case of abuse. "In this case, the taxpayer is the ultimate provider of this resource for police officers and state police, and if they're not using that system legitimately, there is abuse not only of taxpayers money, but of public trust."
We found Trooper Nugent calling in sick to go to the Rhode Island Fishing Expo last year. He took another day when he got his new boat. On June 14, he was due at the Bourne barracks at 11 p.m. He was out hauling in a mahi and fishing until 9.
He called in sick and was back out early the next morning running a charter.
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