City upholds firing of woman implicated in Dothan feeding scandal

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - The Dothan Personnel Board on a unanimous vote Wednesday morning vote upheld the termination of a city employee who allegedly falsified documents in a multimillion-dollar child nutrition program.

Coordinator Stephanie Wingfield was fired because she allegedly ordered subordinates to falsify paperwork so the city could receive reimbursement for its after-school nutrition program.

Her supervisor, Assistant Leisure Services Director Roy Kitts, was suspended for his failure to monitor the program and three low-level employees were disciplined but kept their jobs, according to a city email obtained by News 4.

Richard Rice, Wingfield’s attorney, issued this statement to News 4.

“We are disappointed with the decision of the personnel board to uphold the termination of Ms. Wingfield’s employment with the City of Dothan. A review of the hearing transcript reveals the testimony presented during the hearing did not establish Ms. Wingfield was involved in any dishonest actions or wrongdoings. In fact, the decision to terminate Ms. Wingfield was made prior to any investigation of Ms. Wingfield’s actions occurring. Equally important is that the children served under Ms. Wingfield’s leadership will continue to be deprived of receiving quality compassionate care now that she is no longer involved. We will continue to work to establish the truth related to the City’s actions and to vindicate Ms. Wingfield.”

Subscribe to our News 4 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning. Get instant notifications on top stories from News 4 by downloading our mobile apps.

Copyright 2022 WTVY. All rights reserved.