LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A sheriff's deputy in Indiana, Tobias Shepherd, is out of a job for missing a mandatory coronavirus test.
Shepherd, however, said it's all a misunderstanding. He said he told his superiors in Boone County, Indiana, that he would be on vacation and that his test was rescheduled.
Boone County Sheriff's Office employees can miss a test only if they are out of state. The office's executive secretary said she assumed Shepherd would be traveling outside of Indiana when he asked about rescheduling.
Shepherd actually only went to southern Indiana.
"It was reasonable for me to believe that what I did — I followed to the letter," Shepherd said. "I did not refuse to take the test. I did take the test. I didn't miss my test. I took my test. I followed the directive that I thought to be correct at the time."
Sheriff Mike Nelson said firing Shepherd was still the right thing to do.
"We need to make sure that the message is very clear out there that this virus is killing people," Nelson said. "The positivity rate continues to go up, and we gotta do everything we can to protect the people."
Five other civilian employees have been fired for missing their tests in Boone County.
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