Former TSCHS employee looking to file civil suit after being sexually harassed by coworker

A former Toccoa-Stephens County Humane Shelter employee has pled guilty to one count of sexual battery against a former coworker. Now that coworker is looking into filing a civil suit.

Eric Cash admitted to committing sexual battery against Ashley Rambo, who was working as a kennel/vet tech at the shelter.

According to the investigative report filed by the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, Rambo filed charges against Cash in November of 2017, citing two different accounts of being sexually harassed. The first incident happened on October 21, when Cash grabbed her and placed his hands on her butt while saying he “wanted that.”

Rambo reported another incident that occurred on November 2, 2017. She said Cash passed by her and grabbed her vaginal area and said “I’m gonna get that.” Later that same day, he approached her stating he would pay her $500 to have sex with him; then an hour later, he approached her again saying he would pay $600 or even $700 to have sex with her.

It was at this point, Rambo contacted her employer, Shelter Director Jeff Roberts.

Rambo tells WNEG News that she didn’t believe her complaints were taken seriously.

“His exact words were ‘I have to be at the news station, if you’re not here when I get back, we’ll get together and go over some stuff in the handbook,’ Rambo said. “But, if you pull the handbook, there’s really nothing in there about sexual harassment. If you have any problems on your job, you report to your director, which is Jeff (Roberts), and I did that.”

WNEG News reached out to Roberts, who says the Shelter followed protocol and opened an internal investigation.

“Well we get a statement from the individual and based on what’s in the statement we’ll investigate any claims or try to get any substantiation one way or the other,” he said. “We’ll also talk to any other staff directly or indirectly involved or aware of, then we investigate and interview them. Anytime there’s a complaint we investigate it.”

Roberts added that following the initial complaint, both Rambo and Cash were assigned different schedules.

“We followed legal advice based on the situation. At that point in time, it was a he said she said situation,” Roberts said. “We made sure that Eric was initially suspended. When the situation started dragging out and we had no end line in it, we checked with legal advice and we brought Eric back, but only on days when the other individual (Ashley) would not be here, so there would be no direct contact.”

However, Rambo says she was advised by Toccoa-Stephens County Humane Shelter Board that the shelter was shorthanded and there would be no way to keep the two employees separated.

Roberts says Cash is no longer employed at the shelter.

After pleading guilty to one count of sexual battery, Cash was sentenced to 12-months of probation.