INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Independence Fire Department is consulting the city's legal department to find out how to proceed with Shon Pernice's employment status.
According to Deputy Chief John Greene, Pernice is expected to meet with fire officials on Friday. The situation is now considered a confidential personnel matter.
Pernice, the husband of a missing Northland woman, bonded out of jail Thursday after pleading not guilty to the felony charges of stealing a neighbor's handgun.
"Depending on how it turns out, there could be disciplinary action, but we have to wait until that decision is made," Greene said. "We're all just waiting for information and trying to figure out what's going on like everyone else."
Pernice posted bond and was released from the Clay County Detention Center. The charges are unrelated to the disappearance of his wife, 35-year-old Renee Pernice. The mother of two has not been seen since January 2.
Flanked by his attorney, Pernice did not answer any reporters' questions after bonding out of jail.
NBC Action News also tried to speak with him while he was parked in his minivan near his Northland home, apparently waiting to see if his kids were on a school bus, but he drove away without making a comment. Pernice has not spoken publicly about his wife's disappearance.
According to the police report, on January 31, one of Shon Pernice's neighbors noticed a .22 caliber pistol missing and found an alarm had been disabled on the basement door. Pernice had visited the neighbor's house with his children earlier that day.
The next day, Pernice showed up at the neighbor’s home, returned the gun and apologized for taking it. The neighbor then alerted authorities.
On Wednesday, officers arrested Pernice at an Independence fire station, where he works as a firefigther and paramedic.
Renee and Shon have two children together who are believed to be staying with their dad at home. His mother is helping take care of the children, according to neighbors. Shon also has a daughter from a previous marriage.
Earlier this month, the Clay County Prosecutor's office called Renee Pernice's case a death investigation. In a report released last month, police said they found blood in Renee's garage and divorce papers in her office. It also stated that Shon Pernice gave conflicting stories about when he last saw his wife before she disappeared.
Authorities have not named any suspects related to the disappearance or filed any charges.
As a condition of his bond, Pernice is not allowed to possess any firearms while his case is pending. He is due back in court for the gun theft charges on March 31.
