Arbitrator rules against fired police officer

Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003 | 9:23 a.m.

An ex-North Las Vegas Police officer who claimed two of the department's detectives set up him up to be fired because of his criticism of the police union has lost a round in his legal battles with the city.

Arbitrator Matthew Goldberg informed North Las Vegas officials last week that the city had cause to fire former Officer Michael Thomas.

Thomas was fired from the police department on Aug. 31, 1999, for gross insubordination related to disruptive behavior on the job -- an alleged pushing and butting incident on Dec. 22, 1998, with two North Las Vegas detectives. The firing came a month after Thomas was acquitted of two misdemeanor battery charges stemming from the altercation with the detectives, William Brooks and Michael Bodnar.

Municipal Judge James Kelly cleared Thomas after hearing testimony from others who said they saw no physical contact between Thomas and the men.

Thomas filed an arbitration claim and lawsuit against the city, claiming wrongful termination.

Goldberg wrote in his findings that Thomas "could justifiably be disciplined for being disruptive, interfering with the normal operations of the department, and for bringing the department and its members into disrepute through a series of false allegations."

At the time of the alleged battery trial, Thomas, then 38, said he was one of three North Las Vegas police officers who did not belong to the union.

The incident began while Brooks was taking a statement from Thomas regarding a criminal complaint he had filed about a month earlier, accusing fellow officer Dave Galyen, president of the union, of attempting to run over Thomas.