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18-year veteran lieutenant of Indian River County Sheriff's Office fired for neglect of duties

Posted at 7:11 AM, Jul 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-21 04:52:49-04

The Indian River County Sheriff's Office fired an 18-year veteran of the department on Wednesday after taking disturbing pictures while at work.

Sheriff Deryl Loar terminated Lt. Macen LeVan for "willful neglect of official duties." 

Loar said Thursday that 

During his 18 years with the sheriff's office, LeVan served in a variety of assignments with his most recent being at the Indian River County Courthouse.

"We take the safety and security of our courthouse very seriously. We average more than 150,000 visitors to our courthouse every year. Macen LeVan willfully neglected his duties to protect and oversee the operations of our courthouse which I will not tolerate," said Loar.

LeVan took 130 pornographic photos and videos of himself and others on his work cellphone.

“Our investigation revealed he was negligent in his duties, spending too much time in his office, which really is not his responsibility to remain in his office for an extended amount of time,” said Loar.

The sheriff said they eventually discovered he was doing inappropriate things while in the office, resulting in the firing.

The internal investigation also found LeVan contacted a witness, encouraging them not to participate in an investigation.