Florida Jail Fires Officer for Being KKK Member

Thursday, December 31, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Florida — A county jailer in Florida has been fired after telling investigators he was an officer of the Ku Klux Klan.

An internal affairs report by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office says Detention Officer Wayne Kerschner defended the KKK as a faith-based organization.

Kerschner told investigators that he blogged on a KKK Web site, attended a rally in Tennesseeand paid dues to the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. He said his wife was also a member.

Kerschner was fired Wednesday for violating a department ban on subversive or terrorist organizations. The KKK promotes the interests of white Americans, often with violence and intimidation.

He had worked four years at the jail in Gainesville. A phone number for Kerschner could not be found Thursday.

The investigation started after a tip from a sheriff's deputy working on an FBI investigation.