Sergeant Nathaniel Passwaters of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office was named in a 2015 federal lawsuit for subjecting Pocomoke police officer Franklin Savage to a racially hostile work environment from 2012 to 2014. Passwaters, who supervised a multi-agency drug task force, allegedly used racial slurs (including the N-word), allowed other officers to engage in racist pranks (such as taking Savage to a site nicknamed KKK Lane and placing a deer’s tail on his car), and then retaliated against Savage for reporting the abuse. The suit claimed Passwaters spread false rumors to undermine Savage. The case was settled in 2020 with a $1.2 million agreement and reforms to prevent such misconduct.
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