A Central Ohio Transit Authority driver accused of discriminating against a gay passenger told agency officials she believed the man was releasing an odorless substance on the bus that was causing her to have a headache. COTA's investigation into the incident determined that Jacquelyn A. Willis did not discriminate against the passenger, Ben Purdom, because he is gay, but that her conduct was "unbecoming a COTA employee." She must undergo a medical assessment before the agency decides whether she can return to work.

A Central Ohio Transit Authority driver accused of discriminating against a gay passenger told agency officials she believed the man was releasing an odorless substance on the bus that was causing her to have a headache.

COTA�s investigation into the incident determined that Jacquelyn A. Willis did not discriminate against the passenger, Ben Purdom, because he is gay, but that her conduct was �unbecoming a COTA employee.�

She must undergo a medical assessment before the agency decides whether she can return to work. Willis is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the evaluation.

Willis could not be reached for comment. Transit Workers Union Local 208 President Andrew Jordan did not return a call Wednesday seeking comment.

Purdom boarded the bus Willis was driving just after 3:30 p.m. on June 2 and took his seat near the back doors. Shortly after he sat down, Willis threatened to kick Purdom off the bus if he continued the behavior she was questioning.

Willis wouldn�t tell Purdom what he was doing wrong, though. Surveillance video from the bus shows that he was sitting quietly, using his smart phone and looking out the window.

Willis eventually stopped the bus, and Purdom started recording the incident on his cell phone. The video was viewed nearly 65,000 times on Facebook, and Purdom accused the driver of kicking him off the bus because he is gay, pointing to the eyeliner he was wearing that day.

Bus surveillance video shows Willis accusing Purdom of assaulting her. In an interview with COTA investigators, she said she started getting pain in her head when Purdom boarded the bus and that he rode on previous routes when she got a headache, according to documents released Wednesday.

�She does not know what he was doing to make her head hurt, but knew he was doing something,� according to the investigation report. �She said whatever he was releasing was odorless, and she didn�t see anything or hear anything.�

Willis lodged similar complaints about passengers �releasing a scent on the bus that caused headache and body aches� in 2012 and 2013, according to the report.

Police who eventually responded to the scene of the stopped bus asked Purdom whether he was carrying an aerosol can, but he said he wasn�t. Purdom could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

COTA, the union representing bus drivers and Willis signed an agreement last week that said Willis must submit to a medical assessment through Mount Carmel Health before the transit agency makes a final decision about any discipline in the incident.

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan