A veteran officer of the Elizabethton Police Department has resigned after an internal investigation into policy violations.
Police Chief Greg Workman confirmed on Friday that EPD Sgt. Jesus Pena has tendered his resignation to the department. Most recently, Workman said, Pena had been assigned to the department’s narcotics investigation unit.
Workman said Pena’s resignation was the officer’s own choice. “It’s something he decided to do,” he added.
According to Workman, an internal investigation was conducted regarding policy violations committed by Pena.
“We have a policy that any time a confidential informant is approved, the officer has to immediately turn that paperwork in to their supervisor,” Workman said. “That way the confidentiality remains intact.”
Workman said incidents had occurred where Pena had used confidential informants and the paperwork for those informants was not in order.
“This policy has been in place since we started using confidential informants,” Workman said. “This is nothing new.”
Workman said the internal investigation had concluded and “no disciplinary action had been taken to the city manager.”
Pena was a 16-year veteran of the department, Workman said.