STAFF WRITER
“I make a motion to re-hire Brad White and Charles Johnson,” said Alderman Dale Berry.
The audience gathered erupts into applause. Usually Magee Board of Aldermen meetings are quiet and sparsely attended. But not tonight.
“Is there a second to this motion?” asked Mayor Jimmy Clyde, glancing around at the table. A few seconds of silence ensues. “I repeat, is there a second?” No one answered.
Just like that, Berry’s motion is dead in the water. White and Johnson remain off the Magee police force.
The scene was the tense ending to last Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting. While a previous called board meeting was for the police force and aldermen to talk (and thus not open to the public), Tuesday’s meeting saw various Magee citizens speak up.
“The county is short on [the police force],” said Gaylord Long. Saying that he would like to see Magee grow and prosper, Long said this can only be accomplished through the help of the police.
Speaking before the board during the public comments section which opened up the meeting, Long said he found it odd that the two officers let go would be an assistant chief and former policeman of the year. “It’s bad publicity,” said Long.
Bruce Lewis also spoke in support of the two former police officers, asking the board to reconsider hiring them. “We have a good police department,” Lewis said.
According to one citizen, Johnson has personally helped her in her time of need. Glenda Williamson said her husband had recently been paralyzed and that Johnson always came by when he worked his night shift to help Williamson and her husband out, sometimes twice in one night.
“He always treated me with respect and kindness,” said Williamson.
Not everyone is on the side of the police, however. Shawn Jones was the last to speak and said that while he is unsure of Johnson, he is happy White is off the force, calling White a “thorn in his side.” Jones alleges that the PD has overstepped their boundaries and harassed him at times.
Back in 2010 Jones said that during a traffic stop White took Jones back to Jones’ apartment after suspecting possession of marijuana. According to Jones, White told Jones he would find out why he was under arrest at the station.
“He said, ‘If you’re lying and I have to bring out my K-9 in the cold weather, I’ll double the charges,’” said Jones when recalling White asking him if there were drugs in Jones’ truck. Jones was arrested for possession of less than 0.3 grams of marijuana.
“White came to the car and told me to be quiet or I would be charged with trying to escape,” Jones said of knocking on the window with his head (saying he did this because he was handcuffed) to ask why his truck was being towed at the time.
White had a previous encounter with Jones back in 2009, with White saying Jones “didn’t smell right” after Jones walked past him and said hello in a parking lot, allegedly believing Jones to be in possession of marijuana.
Jones alleges that while working for Millcreek police obtained a search warrant and searched his apartment, confiscating what appeared to be cocaine at the time. The results of the toxicology tests on the substance stated it was sugar.
Jones said his landlord was not made aware the police were searching his apartment. A letter to both Clyde and the police department received no reply, according to Jones.
An “underlying facts and circumstances” report by officer Joey Womack said Jones was “chased” by police during the stop and that a cellmate said Jones stated he had more marijuana and guns inside his apartment, with Jones saying both claims are false. “If the report was exaggerated, the judge wouldn’t have signed the warrant,” said Womack.
Police Chief Randy Crawford said in response that Jones has a long history of charges for DUI and drug possession. Arrest records show Jones was also charged with driving with a suspended license and criminal trespassing.
Jones said he has been abstinent from drugs and alcohol since June 2012. Both Jones and Crawford said there have been no convictions.
Millcreek fired Jones due to the drug charges, which Jones said White is at fault for.
Jones said White is not “racist” but instead overzealous and displays a “bravado,” which Jones said influences the rest of the department.
Both White and Johnson were in attendance during Tuesday’s meeting, one of many faces to fill the room. Back in July the board decided to not renew the contracts of White and Johnson with the Magee Police Department.
Long said during his three minutes to the board that Crawford should have some say in who stays employed with the police.
However, under current law, that authority rests not with Crawford, but instead with the Board of Aldermen. Former city attorney Bruce Smith provided documentation clarifying this.
The document states that all officers and city employees “shall hold office at the pleasure of the governing authorities and may be discharged by such governing authorities, either with or without cause.”
The board has not stated why Johnson and White, along with former dispatcher Jamie Burkett, did not have their contracts renewed, citing that it is a personnel matter.
Crawford has said before he should be the one who decides whether or not to keep officers on the force. Berry has said he also supports this. “If the police chief is recommending these guys, we should keep them,” said Berry.
After the meeting, the mood was a bit raw. Though those in attendance were not willing to go on the record, several people said they disagreed with the board’s refusal to re-hire White and Johnson.
One source who asked not to be named said, “We should run ‘em all out of town except Dale Berry.”
Johnson himself, citing previous mix-ups in communication, said he had no comment. Another source said that Johnson’s attorney may soon step in. The meeting briefly went into executive session to discuss “legal matters.”
When asked if Johnson would be pursuing action in court, Crawford said he was not aware of any such developments.
Clyde said he thanked everyone for coming out and welcomed their comments. “This is what freedom is about,” he said.
The next board meeting will be on August 20.
Archives
![[icon]](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg&page=1){kind=small}