Controversial Myspace Page Gets Dispatcher Put On Leave

ANDERSON, Ind. -- An Anderson police dispatcher was placed on paid leave after 6News showed his superiors what was posted on his Myspace.com page.

Brady Lewis also lost his job as a reserve officer in Edgewood, 6News' Rick Hightower reported.

6News found what some might consider disturbing images on Lewis' site, including swearing and racially-charged words. There was also language that some would consider offensive toward women and minorities.

Millions of people have pages on Myspace, but this particular page caught close attention because of who it belongs to.

"I was shocked a little bit. It's not my kind of humor," said Edgewood Police Chief Martin Stanley.

The page featured a teddy bear wearing a swastika and discussing hate toward ethnic groups.

Lewis told Stanley his page was supposed to be a site for friends to joke and that he never considered it public domain.

Stanley told Lewis he considered the page no laughing matter and asked Lewis to turn in his badge.

"It would be best for him to take a break, if not permanently, and look for some other opportunities," Stanley said.

Lewis was not paid as a reserve officer, but is as a full-time employee of Anderson police. That department also relieved Lewis of his duties while they investigate.

"(We're going to) conduct an inquiry on the information he has on his Myspace," said Anderson police Detective Joel Sandefur. "He's on paid administrative leave until this can be resolved."

Sandefur said that while the information is protected under free speech, it still might serve as a wake up call for employers to be aware of what their workers do while off duty.

Neither Edgewood nor Anderson police departments commented on whether they thought the posted items were racist in nature.

6News left messages in an attempt to contact Lewis, but he didn't return calls.