The assistant fire chief for Peachtree City has retired following an investigation into an alleged groping incident at an awards dinner.
Peki Prince submitted her notice of retirement March 6, a day before an attorney released the findings of an internal investigation in the allegations, according to a statement from the city.
Prince, 46, had been on paid administrative leave since Feb. 3, six days after she was accused of groping three co-workers, including two women and a man, at her department's Installation and Awards Dinner at the Flat Creek Country Club in Peachtree City.
After the allegations were reported to the city's human resources department, the city hired an outside attorney to conduct an internal investigation.
That attorney, Laurel Henderson of Decatur, recommended that disciplinary action be taken against Prince, according to the investigation report obtained by the AJC.
"The fact that three people were subject to unwanted touching is significant," the report states.
Prince will not face formal charges for the allegations, but a complaint has been filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the city.
More than 40 city employees were interviewed and gave varying accounts of the night's events, according to the report. Prince told Henderson she was intoxicated at the party and did not remember specific events, but she did not dispute others' claims, the report states.
A male firefighter, whose name was not released, said he could not remember being touched by Prince.
"He recalls only approaching his wife during the party and reporting that his chief had molested him and stating that they needed to leave the party immediately," the report states. "He stated even when he reported to his wife, he had no memory of any touching at that point although he recalls the other events of the party clearly."
Prince also said she did not remember grabbing the man's crotch and there were no other witnesses, according to the report.
Also during the event, Prince allegedly grabbed the breasts of two women in the restroom. Although the touching was not consensual, according to Henderson's report, Prince may have believed she was joking with both women, giving her inebriated state.
However, two witnesses reported seeing Prince grab a woman's breast in front of others in the dining room, the report states. Witnesses also reported seeing Prince and a male subordinate holding hands and dancing in a sexually suggestive manner, although both denied any personal intimate relationship.
"She seemed genuinely distressed by her behavior and also genuinely concerned about all three people involved," the report states.
Prince's official retirement date is April 8, and she will be on accrued leave until then, the city said.
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