Derrick Wojcik-Damers, former general manager of Twin Transit, speaks during a board meeting in December in Chehalis.
An internal investigation into a visit to Twin Transit property by former general manager Derrick Wojcik-Damers and former Twin Transit Advisory Board Chair Bobby Jackson in February confirmed that employees were present during the visit, which had been prohibited by the advisory board.
No determination was made as to whether Jackson was with Wojcik-Damers the entire time.
Wojcik-Damers was under investigation at the time for complaints made against him by Twin Transit employees and had been directed by the advisory board to work from home.
The incident sparked the temporary evacuation of the building by Twin Transit employees and led one staff member, Alison Meyn, to file a tort claim against Jackson and the advisory board, citing memoranda sent by Jackson to staff members and the minutes of the board meeting where Wojcik-Damers was told to avoid interaction with employees.
According to a copy of the investigation obtained by The Chronicle, Jackson and Wojcik-Damers claimed they made plans on Friday to visit the administrative building the next morning so Wojcik-Damers could inspect a new bus, get receipts off his desk and check his voicemail.
Human Resources Manager Melissa Shoemaker interviewed six people as part of her investigation into the matter: Jackson, Wojcik-Damers, Meyn, Operations Manager Aaron Rollins, Maintenance Manager Steve Wark and Road Supervisor Donna Gauger.
“It is confirmed that employees Gauger and Wark were in the building while Wojcik-Damers was present,” Shoemaker concluded. “It is also confirmed that Wojcik-Damers had no contact with any employees while on the property. … It appears there is inconsistency as to whether Jackson was with Wojcik-Damers the whole time.”
Jackson stated during his interview with Shoemaker that Wojcik-Damers said there wouldn’t be any employees in the building. Rollins disputed that claim, telling Shoemaker that Wojcik-Damers knew a supervisor and bus operators worked out of the building on weekends.
Gauger told Shoemaker she felt uncomfortable when Wojcik-Damers and Jackson appeared outside the building that morning.
After informing Rollins of their presence, she met Meyn in the parking lot and told her to go directly to the Centralia Train Depot to begin her shift.
“Rollins states he was under the impression that Wojcik-Damers was not to be in contact with any employees or be around employees during work hours,” Shoemaker wrote. “… Rollins expressed that he felt the situation could have been avoided if Wojcik-Damers would have planned a visit in advance, after hours without risk of seeing any employees.”
Meyn was one of two Twin Transit employees whose comments about Wojcik-Damers were published by The Chronicle the evening before he and Jackson made their unscheduled appearance.
Meyn told Shoemaker she felt scared and intimidated by the presence of the two men. She did not give a definitive answer as to whether she was scared for her physical safety and well being, according to Shoemaker’s report.
Meyn is seeking a total of $20,000 in damages from Jackson and the Twin Transit Advisory Board.
“(Meyn) did describe that she felt nervous about (Jackson and Wojcik-Damers) being there, especially after she had been quoted in the local newspaper the night before,” Shoemaker wrote. “She confirmed that she had no interactions whatsoever with Wojcik-Damers or Jackson.”
Wark, Jackson and Wojcik-Damers offered conflicting accounts when asked if Jackson and Wojcik-Damers were ever separated during the visit, which lasted for about an hour.
Wark reported seeing Wojcik-Damers sitting in his office when he arrived at 10:10 a.m. that morning. He denied seeing Jackson, but added that he did could not see all of the second-floor office through the window looking out onto the shop floor.
According to Wark, Wojcik-Damers left about 15 minutes later, allegedly without Jackson, who told Shoemaker he could not recall leaving Wojcik-Damers alone when asked by Shoemaker. Wojcik-Damers alleged Jackson was “no more than five feet away from him” during the visit.
Jackson claimed to have been standing at Wojcik-Damers’ office window when he saw Wark enter the shop below. He told Shoemaker that he wasn’t sure if Wark saw him there, but would assume he did.
“Jackson states (he and Wojcik-Damers) walked down the stairs together and exited the building together, and recalls walking on Wojcik-Damers’ left side across the shop in order to avoid any confrontation with Wark,” Shoemaker wrote.
Wojcik-Damers resigned from Twin Transit less than a week later, following the disclosure of his a felony theft conviction in Lewis County under a prior name. Jackson stepped down from the Twin Transit Advisory Board earlier this month.
