Photo Courtesy: Evan Speck
A Charlestown (RI) police officer who is a competitive bodybuilder is suing the town and its Police Department, accusing his superiors of discriminating against him based on a disability – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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He is asserting that their retaliation led him to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, and he’s seeking injured-on-duty benefits for his PTSD.
Evan Speck, 34, of Westerly, with 11 years on the Charlestown force, has filed two lawsuits in U.S. District Court against Police Chief Jeffrey S. Allen and the town due to alleged retaliation and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
He claims the town and his superiors have halted his pay and health-care coverage and denied him injured-on-duty status in retaliation for exercising his disability rights. ADHD and PTSD are classified as disabilities under federal law.
The town, in court papers, counters that Speck has been absent from work for months “claiming it is due to his alleged disability,” but managed during that time to participate in bodybuilding competitions in Florida, Connecticut and Las Vegas. It notes that he has purchased a BMW, paid to renovate his home with custom-made materials and traveled to New York for bodybuilding treatment – all since the start of his first sick leave in January 2016.