Former deputy lawsuit settled

NORWALK — Documents show the Huron County sheriff's office agreed to pay $150,000 to settle lawsuit filed by a former deputy.The settlement came in September after Theresa "Terrie" Shean, 69, a 33-year-veteran of the sheriff's office, sued Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin in April 2017, contending she was unjustly fired in February 2017.The settlement agreement was made between Shean and the county's insurance provider, County Risk Sharing Authority.Shean's lawsuit, filed in Toledo's U.S. District Court, states that after Corbin was elected sheriff in 2017, he moved Shean from her role as a road patrol supervisor to a road deputy. In the lawsuit, Shean stated a congenital deformity in her hip, which she said she received surgery for in 2016, prevented her from doing that job."I was born without a right hip; I never knew that until about maybe 18 or 19 years ago," Shean told the Norwalk Reflector. "I went to the Cleveland Clinic and they said eventually (there) was going to need to be surgery."Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin said when he took over he had 12 deputies and needed people to work the road.Corbin contends Shean — who was classified as a road lieutenant — was not fired, but placed on an involuntary disability separation per the department's collective bargaining agreement. Corbin said that the separation gives Shean three years to become fit for duty and return to her job."Ms. Shean was unable to perform the essential functions of her position," Corbin said.Shean told the Reflector she's worked in several positions at the sheriff's office during her time serving under four sheriffs, including road patrol, jail administration, dispatcher and training officer.Shean, her doctor, and Corbin all agreed she would not be able to work as a road deputy since she would be at risk of physical encounters with suspects, according to documents filed in federal court."If Ms. Shean were to perform all of the functions of her position, she would be put at significant risk of harming herself," Corbin said. "She could have also put members of the community needing assistance and other deputies at risk.Corbin continued: "I expect every deputy to be able to physically perform the duties required to be a law enforcement officer. It's a reasonable standard and not one that can be compromised."Visit our Huron County Sheriff's Office hub for more storiesReach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterTerry SheanHuron County Sheriff Todd Corbin