After a two-day hearing, a former City of Tampa employee learned that she won’t be reinstated. She was fired last year after being accused of not coming forward with information during a police investigation involving her nephew.

Last year, Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor suspended Mrs. Carolyn Riggins, a 10-year employee with the Tampa Police Department during an Internal Affairs investigation.  Based on the results of that investigaiton, Chief Castor terminated her.

According to City records, Mrs. Riggins was employed in February 2000. She has worked in several areas within the department with her most recent assignment being the Extra Duty Office.

Mrs. Riggins is the aunt of murder suspect, Dontae Morris, who surrendered July 2, 2010, after a massive nationwide manhunt. Morris was charged with killing Tampa Police Officers Jeff Kocab and Davis Curtis, on June 29, 2010. He has also been charged with the murders of  Derek Anderson, 21, on May 18th; Rodney Jones, 41, on May 31st; and Harold Wright, 25, on June 8th.

After two days of testimony, the Civil Service Board for the City of Tampa decided in favor of upholding the termination. The board decided that Mrs. Riggins should have told her superiors that her daughter, Alaina Riggins, had a close relationship with Morris and his brother, Dwayne Calloway.

Last year after the termination, Chief Castor said in a news release, “As our department was reeling from the loss of two fine officers, it was another devastating blow to discover a valued Tampa Police Department employee worked against our efforts to catch the hardened criminal.

“… Our investigation has revealed that Carolyn Riggins both withheld pertinent information that could have aided in the suspect’s apprehension and provided information to his associates that interfered with the department’s ability to track down the suspect.”

When contacted by the Sentinel, Mrs. Riggins said she did not want to comment.

Of the Civil Service ruling, Chief Castor said, “There is not joy in this verdict. Carolyn Riggins was a trusted member of our TPD family and she betrayed us in our darkest hour. We can all breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that this chapter is closed and we can now move forward.”

City Editor Iris B. Holton can be contacted at (813) 248-1921; or emailed at iholton@flsentinel.com.