State trooper Randy Henry fights for former job

A highway patrol trooper is preparing to fight for his former job.

Corporal Randy Henry says he was unfairly punished when he took a stand against the department’s handling of the Brandon Ellingson case.

Brandon Ellingson was the 20-year-old man who drowned in the lake of the Ozarks while in the custody of the highway patrol.

Henry’s attorney claimed in today’s conference, Henry’s attorney made three motions and two of them were about conflicts of interest.

Pleban claimed these conflicts exist because of the Ellingson case.

The first motion was for the head of the procedural review board who was running the meeting to recuse himself.

“We find it a little difficult that this individual’s going to be making decisions that could potentially adversely impact his bosses position in connection with that federal lawsuit,” said Chet Pleban, Henry’s attorney.

Pleban also made a motion to disqualify the attorney general as he is taking part in the Ellingson case as well.

“That representation conflicts with randy Henry’s ability to receive a fair and impartial hearing here,” said Pleban

Finally, a motion for dismissal on the grounds that Henry should have had whistle-blower protection.

The attorney for the state highway patrol rebutted saying the circumstances did not protect Henry from what he did.

As for the conflicts of interest, the state’s attorney said none existed adding, the agency as a whole was named in the suit.

Pleban also made a request to subpoena several documents from the highway patrol that were denied him earlier on.

All of the motions made in today’s conference were officially taken under advisement by the review board.