Ex-Chandler officer sues over Web site

Carlos Miller

The Arizona Republic

Nov. 23, 2002 12:00 AM

Former police Officer Ron Dible sued Chandler on Friday, nine months after he was fired from the Police Department for his involvement in a pornographic Web site.

Dible said he was expressing his freedom of speech when he took photos of his naked wife performing sexual acts and posted them on an adult Web site, according to the lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Customers wishing to see Megan Dible, known as "Katelynn" on the Web site, were granted access by paying a fee through a credit card.

Dible, who participated in the Web site operation while he was off-duty, said the city violated his free speech rights by firing him in February because he never represented the city through his actions.

Although the lawsuit acknowledges that portions of Dible's body were visible in some of the photographs, it states that his face is not recognizable, therefore contradicting claims that he brought embarrassment to the department.

But investigators earlier this year said Dible's face was visible in a bedside photograph, in view while his wife engaged in sex.

Dible's attorney could not be reached late Friday for comment. City officials also could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit accuses the police department of violating federal copyright laws by taking the photos from the Web site and publishing them in administrative paperwork that was distributed to the media without his consent.

The Dibles are seeking financial compensation to make up for lost wages from the job, lost wages from the Web site, which was shut down, and compensation for the emotional distress he suffered through the investigation.