O.C. Beach Patrol Captain Could Face Discipline For Email

OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- Ocean City's long-time beach patrol captain could face discipline for an email about what bathrooms his workers should use.

Ava-joye Burnett has more.

Butch Arbin III has been patrolling Ocean City's shores for four decades, but he's now found himself in the midst of some controversy.

The long-time beach patrol captain sent out an email to his employees Sunday about hwat bathrooms they're allowed to use. He said: "Males use the men's locker room only! Females use the women's locker room only!"

In the same email, he went on to say: "We are not Target." The retail giant recently moved to allow its employees and customers to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

Arbin told our media partner, The Baltimore Sun, that he sent out the email because female workers complained about male workers using the women's restroom -- just because it was more convenient.

After swift backlash, Arbin apologized in a follow-up email, saying he "was only looking [out] for the women of the patrol and was not attempting to put down any group or individual."

In a statement, Ocean City spokesperson Jessica Waters wrote: "We are disappointed with his actions and in no way do his comments represent the town of Ocean City or our official town policy."

In the same statement, Waters also said the town apologizes to anyone who may have been offended.

LGBT advocates are praising Ocean City for the tough response and the assurance that they will be addressing the situation with the captain.

"He made a mistake in a way that was offensive to transgender people, and that was a violation of state law," said Patrick Paschall, FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland. "But we believe that employees can learn from their mistakes."

After the initial email, Arbin sent out two more emails apologizing.