A woman who accused a second Virginia police chief of sexual assault is asking the feds to drop the case

ATLANTA – Victim in alleged sexual abuse at the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center is urging the government to hurry up and rule on her case.

Shaneka Jackson says she is frustrated by the ongoing disputes with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Two and a half years have passed since then she filed her complaint with the VA EEO office, and more than a year since her last application.

The trial has been going on for so long that the man she accused, former Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Johnny McCullor, already retired.

“I’m sure I’ll still be traumatized by it, but I’m worried because it’s still ongoing and open,” Jackson, a former dispatcher with the Virginia State Police Department, told the FOX 5 I-Team. “I just don’t know what’s going to happen and I really want to know how it ends.”

When the senior security officer’s Veterans Administration reviewed her claims more than two years ago, it sided with her, calling her accounts “accurate and truthful.” The investigation’s findings said staff described McCullor as “vindictive, condescending, toxic, with a reputation as a womanizer.” The report also said his behavior gave the appearance of “romantic interest in Jackson.”

However, her EEO investigation by another unit was a different matter.

Possible attack

Jackson, a retired military police officer and mother of three, says she hasn’t been the same since. what happened to her. The once outgoing mother of three, who aspired to a career, now says she hardly ever leaves the house.

“I still suffer from daily panic attacks, anxiety, etc.,” Jackson said. “I can’t have a relationship. I no longer trust men, so to speak.”

Among other allegations, Jackson alleged that McCullor feigned interest in her career, helping her land a job at Culpepper & Associates Security, a private security company that Atlanta also uses.

But one day in 2021, Jackson claimed, while alone with her in his office, McCullor allegedly closed the door, exposed himself and groped her, saying, “I told you it was going to cost you.”

McCullor denied all of her claims during a meeting with EEO investigators. He did not respond to a request from the I-Team for this story.

Despite the findings of the VA’s senior security officer’s investigation, McCullor remained the police department’s second in command. In a statement, the VA told the I-Team that “disciplinary action was taken in response to valid claims,” ​​but did not elaborate.

The VA is still investigating dysfunction report in the police department, but it can’t affect McCullor right now because he retired in June.

Jackson continues to pursue her EEOC appeal however, because it is the agency that enforces employment discrimination and harassment laws, it can compel the VA to pay her damages.

“I’m just asking that they complete the process,” Jackson said. “I have nightmares about what came to my mind, particularly about this incident, about sexual abuse.”

She filed an EEO complaint with the VA two and a half years ago, but an administrative law judge dismissed it, saying it wasn’t timely filed and she wasn’t a VA employee when most of her allegations were filed.

Jackson appealed to the EEOC, which handles complaints at federal businesses. Her appeal was rejected and then appealed again. She claimed that Culpepper contracted with the VA, effectively subordinating her to the Atlanta VA Police Department and its top management.

“I was a VA employee,” Jackson told the I-Team. “If I hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have had a VA employee ID.”

Employment Lawyer in Atlanta Amanda Farahani said anxiety over a lengthy legal process is common among women who have been sexually harassed and injured. Jackson is not her client, but Farahani said she appears to be doing the right thing — keeping the focus on her case and hoping the government will act quickly.

“Especially with the EEOC, it takes them a long time to go through that process,” Farahani said. “They’re underfunded, they’re understaffed and because of what happened during Covid, they’re even more reinforced than they were before.”

Her letter to the EEOC

On the one-year anniversary of Jackson’s complaint this month, she sent a letter to the EEOC Office of Federal Operations.

“Please explain what happens to an EEOC case or appeal when the accused resigns,” she wrote, later adding: “It’s been over a year – 365 days of suffering. I am a victim. I just want impartial justice and a fair defense.” . Please help.”

She received a reply earlier this month saying her case remains open, explaining the procedure and saying: “Please be assured that the appeal is being dealt with fairly and equitably. Thank you for your patience.”

The I-Team reached out to the EEOC for this story, but received a brief response: “We cannot comment pending an appeal.”

Meanwhile, Jackson isn’t the only one still waiting for closure. Other current and former police department employees have pending EEO complaints, and the VA has yet to complete its internal investigation into the department’s dysfunctional culture, which led to the suspension with pay of Police Chief Beverly Banks.

Following that investigation, which began in May, the FOX 5 I-Team received an audio recording from a 2023 command staff meeting provided by an officer present, in which Chief Banks is heard telling staff, “I don’t want to hire any more black women.”

“I don’t have any Latinas,” she also heard. – Hell, I don’t want them either.

Retired Virginia police officer David Bennett has his own EEO complaint that accuses Banks of disclosing confidential information about him during a morning meeting. Still in touch with his former colleagues, he says the department remains in limbo because no one knows if Banks can return.

“Collectively, everyone wants to see change,” Bennett said. “They have some moral problems. The only way you’re going to fix it is from the top down.”