A Lakeland police sergeant is back on the job after being pulled from the streets last spring.

However, Police Chief Lisa Womack and State Attorney Jerry Hill are at odds about the decision.

Womack said that Sgt. Bryan McNabb was able to keep his job because there was no evidence against him, but Hill said McNabb can’t be trusted.



After months of investigations, McNabb now has his gun and badge back after being caught up in the LPD sex scandal. It’s a scandal he said he played no part in.



McNabb refused to take a polygraph in this case. He was accused of sending inappropriate text messages to the woman at the center of the sex scandal.

The chief says the recent FDLE report proved the allegations hold no weight and therefore McNabb shouldn’t lose his job.



Hill didn’t believe McNabb. He sent him what officers call a "death letter," deeming him untrustworthy and unfit to stand trial.



Womack said McNabb belongs on the job.

“He is an absolutely outstanding employee," she said. "He has been an outstanding employee for us, so it goes all into the disciplinary decisions and what I can prove and what I can't. I’m not trying to discount Mr. Hill’s concerns. I’m just simply making the appropriate decision as his employer.”

Hill released this statement in response to the chief’s decision: “Any case involving McNabb as a critical witness will not be prosecuted."

Hill goes on to call the decision a public safety issue. But police union representative Nick Marolda said McNabb may never have another case go to trial because he will maintain his position as a trainer and he will not be on the streets.



“In the position that he’s in right now, yes, it’s probably rare for him to get involved in a case where he would be called to testify, but that’s not saying that it’s never going to happen,” Marolda said.



Still, McNabb could find himself involved in an arrest where he could later be called to testify. Womack said it isn’t something she’s concerned about.

“I believe that the appropriate decisions will be made, and if a lawful arrest on a crime has occurred then the appropriate prosecutorial steps will be taken,” Womack said.

McNabb has been on duty for the last couple of months as a trainer but he did not have his gun and badge.