Tollway employees fired for bullying, growing pot and more

An Illinois tollway employee growing marijuana — although not on the premises — and maintenance workers going AWOL were among the findings in a semiannual report by the agency’s inspector general issued Thursday.

Investigations conducted from April through September resulted in several employees being fired, Inspector General James Wagner said.

Illinois State Police sparked one investigation in April after they searched the home of a tollway employee where he admitted to growing marijuana plants. The employee was charged with two misdemeanors and let go in July.

One case that begin in 2012 involved allegations of 11 maintenance garage workers violating policies. The accusations “ran the gamut from tardiness to not reporting arrests,” Wagner said.

After review, the agency in March dismissed one male employee with an arrest record for walking off the job. A second maintenance worker was fired after a positive drug test. Two employees were also suspended for testing positive during a random drug and alcohol screening.

Another investigation that began in March led to the termination of a female finance department worker in August for “bullying, intimidation, harassment and violence” in the workplace against a female co-worker.

Also, a summer temporary toll collector was fired in September after stealing $1,360 and a regular toll worker resigned in August after admitting to lying about possessing a high school diploma.