PAWHUSKA, Okla. — The Pawhuska Police Chief and a sergeant have been fired following a risk assessment of the police department.

Pawhuska City Manager Jerry Eubanks confirmed Pawhuska Police Chief Lorrie Hennesy and Sergeant Warren Towers were terminated on Tuesday.

The risk assessment memo sent to FOX23 cited issues requiring immediate action to “restore the department’s integrity and trust.”

According to her attorneys, Hennesy believes her termination was unjust and the allegations found in the “risk assessment,” were untrue.

The risk assessment memo highlighted four findings, including firearms policy violations, misuse of tasers, vehicle policy violations, and a lack of leadership and accountability.

Firearms Violations

Chief Hennesy and Sergeant Towers were accused of placing firearms in City Manager Eubanks’ vehicle in February, despite knowing he has a prior felony conviction. Felons are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms in Oklahoma. Towers admitted to placing his firearms inside Eubanks’ vehicle and taking pictures with his department cellphone while Chief Hennesy was present.

Another incident accused Towers of placing a gun to Eubanks’ back during a meeting in May. When Eubanks got up and moved toward the door, Hennesy and Towers laughed. Towers admitted to this in a July interview and said it was a joke, while Chief Hennesy denied it happened, according to the memo.

Misuse of Tasers

The memo stated Pawhuska Police officers would frequently engage in horseplay by “dry-firing” their tasers at each other. In July, multiple city employees said they witnessed this behavior, and one said they were dry-fired themselves and witnessed it occurring to others.

Vehicle Policy Violations

According to the memo, Eubanks revoked take-home vehicles for employees living over 10 miles away from the City due to budget constraints, with the exception of Chief Hennesy. Hennesy allegedly encouraged other officers to argue against the rule and knew Towers took a vehicle home in violation of the rule.

Lack of Leadership and Accountability

Chief Hennesy allegedly failed to provide necessary documents for the risk assessment and denied any knowledge of the inquiry, despite being hand-delivered a letter from Eubanks in June.

The memo also describes a “wall of shame” where pictures of officers sleeping on the job were displayed on a wall celebrating the behavior.

The risk assessment concludes, stating a lack of leadership, accountability, and integrity requires immediate action to restore the public’s trust.

FOX23 reached out to Hennesy and her attorneys responded by saying they believe she was unjustly fired, calling the city’s investigation “a shame.”

The statement released by the attorneys says in part:

“We are extremely disappointed with the lack of professionalism, communication and transparency demonstrated by City Manager Jerry Eubanks. Among other things, Mr. Eubanks accused Chief Hennesy, a respected law enforcement officer, of mishandling weapons. However, the evidence, including photographic proof, completely refutes Mr. Eubanks’ claims.”