A.G. Gancarski
Did 4th Circuit Public Defender Matt Shirk have a #FridayFeeling? He allowed his Jacksonville employees to leave early on Friday afternoon.
Informed sources confirm people were allowed to leave at 2:45 p.m.
Those same sources contend that wasn’t an coincidental time to have been chosen. PD-elect Charles Cofer was set to arrive at the PD’s office at 3 p.m.
The third Friday of November is not a public holiday in Jacksonville, and other people working in governmental offices worked normal shifts.
We’ve reached out to Shirk, and a representative of his confirmed the early departure, saying it was standard practice ahead of holiday weekends, so “people could get ready for the holidays.”
We are told the early departure time was intended to give people a breather after an “all attorneys” meeting earlier in the afternoon.
Shirk had this to say in an email: “The employees of this office work tirelessly every day fighting for justice. As a show of appreciation, I have given employees the afternoon off on the Friday before Thanksgiving each of my 8 years in office. In past years I’ve let employees go at 1:00. Today the time was 2:45 because there was an all attorney meeting from 1:30-2:30. The early out today had absolutely no connection to the visit by Charlie Cofer.”
We have reached out to Cofer for his take.
Check back for updates.
