Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. is seeking to fire a member of his command staff for several offenses, including salacious allegations that she gave lap dances to fellow workers while on the clock at county facilities.

Capt. Keona Garth-Dickens was suspended without pay last month, according to sources familiar with the situation. County records show she has not been paid since mid-January.

The county Personnel Review Board had been scheduled to act at its Feb. 4 meeting on Clarke's recommendation that she be discharged. But that decision has now been moved to the board's July meeting. She is to remain on unpaid suspension until then.

Reached last month, Garth-Dickens initially denied knowing anything about her pending termination. She said she was prohibited by department rules from talking to the media, even though she is on suspension.

"I have no comment," said Garth-Dickens, 38, who was in charge of guards at the Milwaukee County Jail.

Clarke's spokeswoman is also being tight-lipped about his decision to try to remove one of his handpicked administrators. A copy of the order announcing Garth-Dickens' suspension has not been made public.

"I don't have any information for you," said Clarke spokeswoman Fran McLaughlin last week. Insiders say Garth-Dickens was escorted from the county agency on Jan. 20.

News of the suspension follows other serious allegations involving those at the county jail.

Last week, Xavier Thicklen, 25, was charged with five felony counts of second-degree sexual assault by a correctional officer. He is accused of raping a female inmate at the jail. Thicklen — who has not yet entered a plea — has no criminal record. He resigned his county post last month.

Thicklen's attorney, Lew Wasserman, did not immediately return a call.

No Quarter first reported on the investigation last month.

Also last week, Aron Arvelo, 26, was charged with two felonies and four misdemeanors that accuse him of videotaping his female co-workers in the women's locker room at the county jail. Arvelo has pleaded not guilty. He also recently quit his county job.

Details on Garth-Dickens' case are sketchy because the records are not public until the Personnel Review Board decides whether it will affirm or modify Clarke's recommendation that she be fired.

County records show she was hired as a correctional officer in 2004 and has rapidly climbed the ranks under Clarke. She landed her current post as corrections captain in 2012. She received her last paycheck Jan. 18. She is listed as being on unpaid suspension for the final two weeks of January. Her annual salary is $78,624.

Several sources said an internal investigation concluded that she was giving lap dances to jail guards while on duty.

It is not known if any of the other county workers have been suspended or disciplined for their role in these matters.

"They might need them to testify against her," said one source. No inmates were said to be involved in the incidents. A half dozen correctional officers are being recommended for suspensions, though the records remain sealed at the Personnel Review Board.

In addition, Garth-Dickens is being accused of mishandling inmate release packets. One source said she supposedly signed the documents without properly reviewing them to see if they were processed correctly or that the correct inmate was being released.

According to insiders, another member of Clarke's command staff — Capt. Leslie Wachowiak — brought her concerns about Garth-Dickens to the sheriff. Wachowiak, who oversees community policing, did not return calls this week.

Past suspensions

This isn't the first time Clarke has suspended a member of his command staff.

In 2012, Nancy Evans, then a major in charge of the Detention Services Bureau, was put on a paid leave of absence while she was under criminal investigation. She was accused of awarding three no-bid contracts worth a total of $6,000 to a former corrections officer with whom she was having a long-running extramarital affair.

Prosecutors closed the investigation without filing charges.

Assistant District Attorney Kurt Benkley said at the time that Evans and her family did not get any kickbacks from the friend she hired.

Clarke recently reinstated Evans as a captain at his agency, prompting a lawsuit by the Milwaukee County Deputy Sheriffs' Association. The group argues in its filing that Clarke didn't follow county rules for promoting her and that she lacks law enforcement certification.

Incidentally, Garth-Dickens was a key witness in the internal investigation that led to Evans' temporary suspension and demotion, according to records recently obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Clarke may not be talking about these personnel matters, but he recently gave some insight into what he sees as his management style.

In an interview with the Journal Sentinel, Clarke, a possible candidate for mayor in 2016, was asked what he would do as mayor. He said he would fire every department head at City Hall.

"All of them," Clarke said. Asked why, Clarke replied, "Because I want to change the culture of City Hall. Everybody. I couldn't be more clear than that.

"That might sound mean. I don't want the stench of underachievement in my administration."

Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.