Wayne County prosecutor who resigned back at work
A former Wayne County prosecutor who resigned over her inflammatory Facebook post after Baltimore police reportedly killed an African-American man is back working for her former employer, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Wednesday.
Teana Walsh is working on a contractual basis, spokeswoman Maria Miller said Wednesday, and returned to the office a month and a half ago.
Walsh declined comment about her return.
Walsh had been with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for eight years when she resigned after her April 2015 Facebook post about protesters after the Freddie Gray incident created a firestorm.
“Solution,” Walsh wrote about Baltimore rioters angry over the arrest and death of Gray while in police custody. “Simple. Shoot em. Period. End of discussion. I don’t care what causes the protesters to turn violent ... what the ‘they did it because’ reason is ... no way is this acceptable. Flipping disgusting.”
Gray, 25, was arrested by police on suspicion he was carrying a switchblade. Gray fell into a coma while in a police vehicle and later died.
Local attorney and radio show host Cliff Woodards II, who shared Walsh’s Facebook last year said Wednesday “everybody deserves a second chance” when told of Walsh’s return to the Prosecutor’s Office.
“I think in the spirit of what’s happened in the last week we need to work together for the common good,” Woodards said, in reference to recent shootings of African-American men by police and the killing by a sniper of five Dallas police officers.
He said he believes Walsh “didn’t think about the impact of what she did” when she posted the remarks.
Woodards calls Walsh a “decent person” and good prosecutor he’s faced in the courtroom on cases.
“I think she’s learned from (the Facebook incident),” Woodards said,
The Rev. W.J. Rideout III was not so forgiving.
“I don’t think she should be there,” Rideout said Wednesday. “Her (Facebook) statements were biased and racist. Her comments showed her mind, her heart and thoughts. We don’t need those types of people in office .... who elude peace and love and justice.”
Rideout said Walsh’s comments showed a disregard for the protestors and “human kind.”
The spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said after Walsh resigned that her Facebook posting was “out of character.”
“Teana Walsh is known for her great work ethic and her compassion for victims of crime and their families. Her post was up on line briefly and she immediately took it down. (The post) ... certainly does not reflect the person that we know. Prosecutor Worthy is satisfied that the appropriate disciplinary action has been taken to address this matter,” Miller said in a statement at the time.
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