A lawsuit filed against the city, its mayor, Harold Perrin, chief financial officer, Suzanne Allen, and human resources manager, Dewayne Douglas, alleges they violated Erick Woodruff’s rights under the state’s Whistleblower’s Protection Act and free speech retaliation, and discriminated against him based on race.
Woodruff, who is African American and had worked as the city’s director of information systems, said the mayor’s son, Mark Perrin, had tried to hack the firewall of a city computer to engage in prohibited activity. The Jonesboro Police Department hired Perrin in December 2014 as a sex offender registration specialist, but after an investigation by state police, Perrin resigned three months later.
Woodruff said the city placed him on a performance improvement plan in early 2016 and denied him a raise due to his race and his involvement in a criminal investigation of Perrin. Woodruff started working for the city in 2007. He was fired January this year. The city declined to comment.