Tenn. officials defend trooper's firing

NASHVILLE, June 3 (UPI) -- Tennessee Department of Safety officials say the firing of Highway Patrol Lt. Ronnie Shirley, for using state equipment to hunt for celebrities, was justified.

Department leaders Col. Mike Walker and Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell said Tuesday that Shirley, who lost his job last September, engaged in conduct that required his dismissal from the highway patrol force, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported Wednesday.

"The evidence was overwhelming that there was gross misconduct here," Mitchell told an administrative law judge.

Shirley was fired for using state criminal justice resources to find information on 182 people such as country music singer Gretchen Wilson.

The former highway patrol officer has since appealed the ruling, alleging many of his former THP workers engaged in similar behaviors without significant repercussions.

The Tennessean said Walker, the THP commander, told judge Tom Stovall the media attention surrounding Shirley's 2008 dismissal has made it impossible for the patrol to welcome him back to his position.