FAIRHOPE, Alabama—The first of six Fairhope police employees facing termination in pending disciplinary cases received a written ruling Tuesday, upholding the firing recommendation by Chief Bill Press of officer Terveille Lee.

Lee’s case was heard last Monday by Mobile Police Deputy Chief James Barber, who was appointed by the city last year as an “impartial hearing officer” required by state law to consider appeals from termination recommendations. Those decisions can be appealed to the city’s Personnel Board.

“We have gotten a ruling,” Thomas Pilcher, Lee’s attorney, said Tuesday of the written notice received that day upholding Press’ termination recommendation. “We’ve started looking at our options about what is best for Mr. Lee.”

Pilcher declined to elaborate, other than to say they had three days to appeal the case. As of deadline, The Courier had not learned whether Lee had given notice of appeal.

In another police disciplinary case, Ronald “Tony” Avera, the corrections officer whose scheduled hearing before the Personnel Board was abruptly cancelled on Jan. 9, had not received a new hearing date as of deadline, according to his attorney John Beck.

The other four employees facing firing recommendations are Sgt. Jeremy Anderson, Sgt. James Gilheart, officer Benjamin Taylor and dispatcher Gina Dennis, according to several people familiar with the cases.

All employees except Dennis and Avera make more than $50,000 annually and must file ethics forms with the state, meaning there are fewer statutory grounds upon which their hearings before the Personnel Board can occur behind closed doors.