A GW housekeeping employee will face a trial May 31 on charges of possession and intent to sell marijuana, marking his fourth criminal arrest in three years – all while employed by the University.
Leon Flythe, 28, was arrested by Prince George's County Police officers in his Suitland, Md. apartment with more than 23 pounds of marijuana, ammunition and $4,000 in cash May 4. He has worked for the University since 2008 and was placed on unpaid leave after GW learned of the incident following media reports, University spokeswoman Candace Smith said.
Flythe was arrested twice in 2010 for second-degree assault and marijuana charges, and then twice in 2011 for disorderly conduct and domestic violence, according to Maryland court records.
The Prince George’s County Police Department information website also identified Flythe as a "known gang member."
Smith said the University is not notified of criminal incidents involving employees outside of the University Police Department jurisdiction, a process she said "is not unusual." She said he no longer has access to campus buildings, but declined to comment on which specific buildings Flythe previously had access to, only saying he was assigned to clean in "office areas."
Individuals are only subject to background searches for initial hires, promotions and transfers, and Smith said there is “not a process in place” if an employee is criminally convicted after employment begins.
“GWPD notifies the university if they make an arrest of a GW employee, but other police departments are under no obligations to notify employers if an employee is arrested,” she said in an email.
When asked about the specific procedure for background checks during the hiring process, Smith directed The Hatchet to the University's Human Resources website, which details the minimum level of background screening required for all applicants, promotions and transfers.
The basic background check includes a criminal history screening, degree verification, Social Security number trace, sex offender registry search and prior employment verification, according to the website.
UPD is not investigating Flythe's on-campus presence, because there are no reports or evidence of potential crimes he committed at GW, she said.
A criminal record is not an "automatic bar to employment," GW’s Human Resources website shows. When asked specifically about the University's procedures for hires with past records, Smith deferred to the website, which did not specifically address those situations.
GW conducts its background checks through an external firm, Smith said. She declined to release the name of the company.
Georgetown University's human resources office conducts background checks on employees if the school learns of "conduct that may pose a danger to others," according to its website.
“In the event that the University has reason to believe that a University employee has engaged in criminal conduct,” the website read, “the University reserves the right to require the employee to satisfactorily clear a background check as a condition of continued employment.”
GW's Human Resources website does not detail policies mandating additional screenings for employees whose behavior violates the staff's standards of conduct.
awesome… 28 rocking 23 pounds.. thats STUNTIN
As long as he didn’t commit any crimes during work hours and that prevent his ability to perform his job, then what he does in his free time shouldn’t have bearing on him continuing to work at the university. Besides, while I was a student I saw plenty of illegal drug activity on the part of students that went unpunished, not to mention all of the intimate partner violence that goes on at GW unpunished…
Alumna: Are you kidding, naïve, or just a bleeding heart who sees the whole world as a paradise of rainbows and unicorns?
This individual was not busted for smoking a joint at home or for downloading the latest movie off BitTorrent. Let’s see what the allegations are:
1) 23 POUNDS of marijuana. That is not for a mellow Saturday night. This individual can reasonably be suspected of dealing/ supplying drugs, which no matter your opinion on whether marijuana should be legal, is currently a Federal and State felony.
2) $4000 in cash. In itself, not a crime, but combined with the stash of marijuana, suspicious as proceeds of his criminal enterprise and possible money laundering.
3) Ammunition. Bet this guy doesn’t have a pistol license. Just guessing.
Combined with his past arrests and convictions, this is NOT someone you want in any position of trust or responsibility. Would you trust him not to steal? I wouldn’t. Would you want him in your office after hours? I wouldn’t.
I would reasonably argue that his pattern of activity DOES negatively affect the ability to do his job since he is a security risk.
GW Alumna….you mean to tell me you’d be okay if your son/daughter went to GW and this man was still employed there? A 28 year old known gang member that’s been arrested multiple times? (I’m sure GW Housekeeping, the Police Department, and many other entities within campus hire dirt bags…but they haven’t been exposed yet. This piece of garbage has been exposed and immediate action is needed!)
You almost expect some level of drug activity/alcohol abuse from the student population, but certainly not from GW support staff that are in place to enhance the student’s experience while attending the university. Have you seen the type of people that are employed as GW housekeepers? These people need to undergo a criminal background check every year, regardless if there is a reason to suspect an employee is engaging in illegal activity. What a person does on their off time is a refletion of who they REALLY are….GW HR needs to understand this and understand it quick.
What do you mean by the type of people that are employed by GW as housekeepers? Do you mean that they are overwhelmingly people of color? I don’t think all the employees should have to suffer for the actions of this one guy. When that Italian professor got caught w/ child porn, people didn’t rush to the conclusion that all professors were scum. Sure this ONE employee was a gang member but lets not jump to conclusions and attack the rest of the employees.
Racist: I think YOU may be the racist by bringing race into this when no poster had brought it up. You assume that the poster is talking about skin color, when he is actually questioning the background, integrity and credibility of certain University employees.
And if you want to talk about racism, I can tell you about comments made to white and Asian students by black J Street employees, including calling me and others “white boy” in a disparaging manner, and saying “must be nice to be rich” one day when I had a suit on.
I’m sorry Bud Fox that you needed to experience such blatant racism. It must of really been hard for you going to J Street to pay for over priced food in your suit. Being rich is hard, those Sodexo workers don’t really know how good they have it. Honestly, I don’t know why you even stay at this university with how much oppression you’re facing here. You and the rest of us would probably be better off if you just left.
Racist, I never brought color into this discussion….you did. I wouldn’t be so quick to jump to conclusions, it makes you look quite foolish.
Primarily, GW Housekeeping staff are on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder. Folks on the low end of this spectrum are more likely to engage within criminal activities. I’m sure you’ll try to argue this point, but it’ll just make you look even more foolish.
Firestarter and bud animal-you guys are being childish. There are many workers at GW in all departments that have questionable ethics. Racist was just pointing out an obvious, underlying piece to your post, Firestarter. If you had said all employees, then it would have been different. Bud animal-yes, black people can be racist too, and so can white and asian people. That doesn’t mean it’s ok to be racist yourself, and prop-up or put-down a particular group. Thanks for the laugh.
Sux 2 B U: I graduated several years ago.