Woman who accused Virginia State Police deputy chief of sexual assault asks federal authorities to close case

ATLANTA – Victim alleged sexual assault at the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center is calling on the government to hurry up and rule on her case.

Shaneka Jackson says she is frustrated by ongoing discussions with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Two and a half years have passed since then filed a complaint in the VA’s EEO office and over a year since her last appeal.

The trial takes so long that the man she accused, former Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Johnnie McCullor, already retired.

“I’m sure I’ll still be traumatized by this, but I’m concerned that it’s still an ongoing case and an open case,” Jackson, a former Virginia State Police Department dispatcher, told the FOX 5 I-Team. “I just don’t know what’s going to happen and I really want to know the end.”

When the senior safety officer’s Office of Veterans Affairs learned of her allegations more than two years ago, it sided with her, calling her reports “accurate and truthful.” The investigation found that employees described McCullor as “vindictive, condescending, toxic and with a reputation as a ‘womanizer.’ The report also stated that his behavior gave the appearance of “romantic interest in Jackson.”

But her EEO investigation, conducted by a different department, is a different story.

Alleged robbery

Jackson, a retired Air Force police officer and mother of three, says she hasn’t been the same since what happened to her. Once a sociable and career-minded mother of three, she now says she almost never leaves the house.

“I still suffer from daily panic attacks, anxiety, things like that,” Jackson said. “I can’t form relationships. I don’t trust men anymore, so to speak.”

Among other claims, Jackson alleged that McCullor feigned interest in her career by helping her get a job at Culpepper & Associates Security, a private security firm also used by the Atlanta VA.

But one day in 2021, Jackson claimed that McCullor, alone with her in his office, allegedly closed the door, exposed himself and groped her, saying, “I told you it was going to cost you.”

McCullor denied all of her claims during a meeting with EEO investigators. He did not respond to messages from the I-Team for this story.

Despite the findings of an investigation by a senior VA safety officer, McCullor remained the police department’s second-in-command. The VA told the I-Team in a statement that “disciplinary measures have been implemented in response to substantiated claims,” ​​but provided no details.

The VA continues to investigate reporting dysfunction in the police force, but that can’t apply to McCullor now because he retired in June.

Jackson continues to pursue her EEOC appeal however, because this agency, which enforces job discrimination and harassment laws, can force the VA to pay it compensatory damages.

“I just ask that they complete the process,” Jackson said. “I have nightmares about things that have happened to me, specifically this incident, which is sexual assault.”

She filed an EEO complaint with the VA two and a half years ago, but an administrative law judge dismissed it, saying it was not timely filed and she was not a VA employee when most of her allegations occurred.

Jackson appealed to the EEOC, which hears appeals of federal workplace complaints. Her appeal was rejected and she subsequently appealed again. She claimed that Culpepper had entered into an agreement with the VA, essentially placing her under the authority of the Atlanta Division of the VA State Police and its top brass.

“I was a VA employee,” Jackson told the I-Team. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have a VA employee ID.”

Atlanta employment lawyer Amanda Farahany found that fear resulting from prolonged court proceedings is common among women who have experienced sexual harassment and trauma. Jackson is not her client, but Farahany said she appears to be doing the right thing – drawing attention to her case and hoping the government will take quicker action.

“The EEOC in particular is taking a long time to go through this process,” Farahany said. “They are underfunded, they don’t have enough people, and thanks to what’s happened during Covid, they have even more support than before.”

Her letter to the EEOC

As Jackson’s appeal marked one year this month, she sent a letter to the EEOC Office of Federal Operations.

“Please explain what happens with an EEOC case or appeal once a defendant resigns,” she wrote, later adding: “It’s been over a year – that’s 365 days of suffering. I am a victim. I just want impartial justice and fair compensation. Please help.”

Earlier this month, she received a response stating that her case remained open, explaining the process and adding: “Please be assured that your appeal is being dealt with in a fair and equitable manner. Thank you for your continued patience.”

The I-Team reached out to the EEOC for this story but received a curt response: “We cannot comment on a pending appeal.”

Meanwhile, Jackson isn’t the only one still waiting for closure. Other current and former police employees have pending EEO complaints, and the VA has not completed an internal investigation into the department’s troubled work culture that resulted in Police Chief Beverly Banks being suspended with pay.

Following this investigation, the FOX 5 I-Team began investigating in May obtained an audio recording from a 2023 command staff meeting relayed by a current officer, during which Chief Banks is heard telling staff, “I don’t want to hire Black women anymore.”

“I don’t have any Latina women,” she is also heard saying. – Hell, I don’t want them either.

Retired Virginia State Police Trooper David Bennett has an ongoing EEO complaint alleging Banks disclosed confidential information about him during an early morning meeting. Still in touch with his former colleagues, he says the department is in limbo because no one knows whether Banks will return.

“Everybody together wants change,” Bennett said. “They have a bit of a morale problem. The only way to fix it is from the top down.”