Police Chief, Lieutenant File Workers’ Compensation Claims

The embattled chief of the South Pasadena Police Department and the lieutenant who headed an internal investigation of a sex scandal have filed workers’ compensation claims against the city, officials confirmed Friday.

Interim City Manager Linda Holmes would not describe the claims, nor say whether the city was contesting them. The filings follow a pair of scandals that rocked the department--one involving an alleged cover-up of a hit-and-run crash involving a politically well-connected police officer and the other a woman who had sex with two on-duty officers.

After The Times reported the crash, leading to a district attorney’s investigation of the department, Chief Thomas Mahoney went on sick leave, officials said. Mahoney continues to draw his $95,000 annual salary while on leave.

Lt. Joyce Ezzell had been on leave since earlier this summer. She and a female sergeant conducted the internal investigation into claims by a 27-year-old acknowledged manic depressive, who has since filed a claim against the city that two officers had sex with her while on duty. After Ezzell’s investigation, one officer was fired and a sergeant resigned.