The Chester, South Carolina police chief and two other Chester police officers filed complaints alleging that they were unjustly suspended for political reasons.
After Chester’s chief of police Eric Williams, Captain Travis Mooreand lieutenant Rickey Sanders were suspended on January 7, they hired a lawyer Paul Porter, which issued a statement on behalf of its customers on Tuesday.
“The mayor (Wanda Stringfellow) publicly asked that these people be fired in the months and weeks leading up to the suspension, based on their own personal interest, for something totally different, ”he said. “It didn’t work, so here we are.”
Stringfellow did not publicly state why the three officers were suspended. However, a spokesman for the SC State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Tommy Crosby confirmed that his agency had received “a request to investigate the finances” from the department and was in the process of conducting a “preliminary investigation” based on that request.
According to Porter, the three policemen were suspended based on a third party inquiry and not a formal investigation.
In a complaint request, Porter asked the Chester city administrator Stephanie Jackson to override the suspensions.
“It seems to me that the mayor – who had already made several public suggestions that Chief Williams and other officers should be fired – did all of this on the basis of their own personal animus,” wrote Porter. “It is in the city’s interest to reverse these adverse employment actions and wash hands of this personal revenge.”
Porter said that none of the officers has a substantial disciplinary record or performance problems that justify such actions.
“These guys are a bright spot in the Chester government,” said Porter. “I hope, for the good of the people, that the city will reverse its suspensions and let them get back to work. Personal fights have no place in politics or policing. “
Sources familiar with the investigation previously told FITSNew that the allegations included in the initial complaint are allegedly linked to public funds that were intended for one purpose but used for another, our founding editor Will Folks reported.
Chester is a small town of approximately 5,400 people located on Interstate 77 corridor between Columbia, SC and Charlotte, NC He has seen his population drop dramatically in the past few decades, lowering an estimate 24.8 percent of its residents in the past three decades.
*****
*****
Chester’s police force is made up of about twenty police officers – including gangs, narcotics and patrol units.
Although a small town, Chester has a high rate of violent crimes – including five reported murders, six reported sexual assaults and 73 aggravated assaults in 2019, according to the latest statewide crime data.
*****
WANT TO TURN OFF THE SOUND?
Is there anything you would like to say in response to one of our stories? We have an open mic policy! Send your own letter to the editor (or guest column) by email HERE. Do you have a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Have a technical question or failure to report? CLICK HERE.
*****
