Allison Wood | The Gazette

PERRY TWP. — The female police officer in Stark County who was fired this week for kissing her boss in front of a dashboard cruiser camera formerly worked as a corrections officer at the Medina County Jail.

Janine England was employed at the Medina County Sheriff’s Office from November until March of this year, when she was laid off due to budget cuts, Sheriff Neil Hassinger said Thursday.

“She was a good worker for us,” he said about England’s job performance. “We have no complaints.”

Before being hired at the sheriff’s office, she passed a background check, polygraph test and psychological examination, records show.

Hassinger said she also served as a volunteer reserve deputy during this time.

England’s husband currently is employed as a deputy at the sheriff’s office.

In April, England was hired as a part-time officer for the Perry Township Police Department in Stark County and the cruiser video in which she is kissing Police Chief Timothy Escola was taken June 2.

The video, which has been distributed on the Internet, was taken as England and Escola were transporting a prisoner.

While Escola was allowed to resign earlier this month after the video was released, township trustees fired England after they refused her letter of resignation.

Before working at the sheriff’s office, she was an officer in the Montville Township Police Department and filed a lawsuit in 2007 claiming sexual and racial harassment after being terminated, court records show. She later dropped the suit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Allison Wood at (330) 721-4050 or allisonwood@ohio.net.