Jessie Lunderby: Arkansas Jailer Fired for Nude Playboy Pictures
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (CBS/KFSM) Jessie Lunderby, the Arkansas prison guard who caused a stir last month when she was suspended from her job for posing nude for Playboy, has officially been fired.
PICTURES: Jessie Lunderby, Playboy Jailer
CBS affiliate KFSM reports that a termination letter from Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder was given to 21-year-old Jessie Lunderby Wednesday.
In the letter, Helder writes that Lunderby's "nude modeling hobby" spilled over into the work place and became a "distraction."
"Needless to say, your hobby was no longer a private pursuit; nor is it any longer a mere hobby," Helder writes. He went on to cite the over 2 million hits Lunderby's photos and story has received on the internet. "Due to your choice to present yourself as a county detention officer from Fayetteville, Arkansas, we have been confronted with resulting workplace issues."
Sheriff Helder also expressed concern over Lunderby's safety because the jailer position required her to work in close proximity with male and female inmates. "You are now a celebrity, of sorts. Your chosen manner of expressing yourself is such that it creates concerns for your safety and consequently, the safety of others."
PICTURES: Jessie Lunderby, Playboy Jailer
Lunderby could not immediately be reached for comment, but posted on her Facebook page that it's "still weird to see myself on the news."
Lunderby is slated to appear at the Exxxtasy 2010 convention in Chicago on Friday as part of the "Hottest Scandals of 2010 Tour" according to her L.A.-based talent agent Gina Rodriguez of DD Entertainment.
Lunderby has been asked to turn in all Sheriff's Office equipment, uniforms, badges and IDs. She will have the opportunity to appeal her termination.