A former corporal from the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department has filed an equal employment opportunity complaint, alleging gender discrimination, after she was fired in July.

Ferron Wambold, who worked for the sheriff’s department for four years, filed the complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about three weeks ago, according to attorney Ben Luna of Little and Cicchettti in Burlington.

Wambold declined to comment, referring questions to her lawyer.

Luna said several male Lamoille County deputy sheriffs engaged in “fraudulent violations of the public trust.” He said the deputies covered up incidents and engaged in “racial and sexual orientation violations.

“At least one of the incidents, in my opinion, warrants an external investigation by the FBI, and we will be notifying them,” Luna said.

He declined to give further details.

Luna said Wambold attempted to file a gender discrimination grievance with the department July 11, but the department refused to process the grievance and then fired Wambold eight days later.

Wambold further described the culture of the office as a “good-old boy sheriff’s department” on a GoFundMe page she created Oct. 10.

“There exists a pervasive pattern of nepotism and gender discrimination at the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department,” Wambold wrote.

“The department terminated me because I am an assertive woman and the men around me couldn’t handle that,” she added.

State and federal laws prohibit employers from discharging employees because of discrimination complaints. The Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department further emphasizes in its policies and procedures manual that  it’s “unlawful to retaliate against an employee for filing a complaint of sexual harassment or for cooperating in an investigation of sexual harassment.”

Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux Jr. said he was aware of Wambold’s allegations but declined further comment.

He said he was working with his insurance company and attorneys in anticipation of a lawsuit.

“I can’t comment, I can’t defend myself,” he said.

However, late Friday his office issued the following statement:

“Attorney Luna’s factual statements are incorrect and his legal conclusions are without merit. Sheriff Marcoux has the highest respect for the court process, and the Sheriff’s Office will vigorously defend these false allegations through that process, should she ultimately file suit.”

Marcoux has led the sheriff’s department since 2002.

About 40-50 deputies work there, six of them women before Wambold was terminated. The deputy roster includes full- and part-time deputies.

“It’s hard to find anybody that’s interested in doing law enforcement these days,” Marcoux said. “If anybody is interested in this kind of work and they happen to be a woman, we’re only so happy to have them apply.”

Wambold worked in law enforcement for five years in Nebraska before coming to Vermont. She is asking for the public’s help in raising $50,000 to cover attorney fees.

“I’m trying to fight to clear my name, restore my reputation, and hold my former employer accountable for gender discrimination,” Wambold wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Luna said the law requires him to file an EEOC complaint before he can file a lawsuit. The EEOC will review the complaint and determine if an investigation is warranted. Luna declined to provide a copy of what he filed.

“They expose sensitive information,” he said. “It would be inappropriate to share right now.”

The EEOC keeps employment discrimination file records private before investigations are complete.

John Campbell, executive director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, who was unaware of the complaint, said there was little his office could do.

Sheriffs are elected by the county in which they serve.

“If they’re county employees, we do not have the jurisdiction,” he said.

Vermont Sheriffs’ Association President William Bohnyak also declined to comment.

“I have no knowledge of of the incidents or who was involved so I cannot comment,” Bohnyak said.

Marcoux is running unopposed in the general election Nov. 6. It could take up to two years before an outcome of Wambold’s case is determined.

“There are always two sides to the story, I just can’t comment on mine,” Marcoux said.