Howell County deputy says he was fired over pins

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A Howell County sheriff's deputy says he was fired for wearing religious pins on his uniform.

Jimmy Denton, a former bailiff, jailer and transport officer, said he was fired by Sheriff Bill Shephard on Wednesday after he refused to remove a cross and guardian angel pin from his uniform.

In a letter Thursday, Denton asked Shephard to reconsider. Shephard said he would consider Denton's appeal.

Denton was fired after a new sheriff's department policy went into effect on Tuesday requiring officers to remove all pins -- except those the sheriff approved -- from their uniforms. A similar policy is in place at the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Shephard would not comment specifically about Denton's case because it's a personnel matter. But he said only one person has received permission to wear pins on a uniform.

"Too many people were putting different things on their uniforms that can cause problems," Shephard said.

Although Shephard said the new policy was first posted in January, Denton claims it was not posted until a few hours after he was first informed about it.

"I believe it has to do with my religious convictions," Denton said. "That's the only thing I can think of."

Shephard denied that.

An attorney with the American Center for Law and Justice, an organization founded by televangelist Pat Robertson, said that policies such as Howell County's must provide criteria for the person who approves pins.

"I think I was made the sacrificial lamb," Denton said. "It was to show the others that they could be fired."