A Metro train operator facing a second-degree murder charge was paid to sit at home for more than a year while the case was pending.
But now Ronald Gerald Pickett has been brought back to the agency, months before he is slated to go to trial in the slaying of his girlfriend, Vanessa McGee.
Pickett reported to the agency on Thursday for training, and will be assigned to “a non-customer facing capacity” at a rail yard where trains are fixed and stored in off-hours, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said.
“He shouldn’t be working nowhere. He should be behind bars,” said Kelvin Huggins, McGee’s stepfather. “My daughter is buried six feet underground.”
Careful consideration was given to Pickett’s case, Stessel said. Agency officials have previously noted that Metro must assume employees’ innocence until a court proves otherwise.
Metro had a station manager working for 10 months while he was facing a negligent homicide charge for a deadly Metrobus crash. That employee was fired last week, two weeks after pleading guilty.
In the current case, Pickett, then 26, was arrested on March 5, 2011, the day McGee was found shot in the home they shared on B Street off Benning Road in Southeast D.C. Pickett could not be reached. His attorney did not return a call for comment.
McGee was a short woman, less than five feet tall, who was known for her outgoing personality, bold clothes and close network of friends.
“The shortest thing with the biggest heart,” said her childhood friend, Linetra Jackson.
The two had been dating for about four years, her family and friends said, but they argued frequently.
“She was sweet, friendly, happy until she got with him,” said her mother, Cheryl Clark.
Twelve days after Pickett’s arrest, he was placed on paid administrative leave at Metro, where he had worked since 2007.
“After he was released on his own recognizance and following a multi-month review, it was determined that Mr. Pickett could return to work in this capacity while he awaits the disposition of a pending criminal matter,” Stessel said.
His trial is slated for June 18.
Metro declined to release Pickett’s salary. Metro’s average annual pay is $74,205, budget documents show, though benefits cost another $30,641.
