G’ana council wants investigation
NICOLE NORRIS/THE GREENVILLE STANDARD
The Georgiana City Council met last Tuesday night to determine the fate of Chief David Scruggs and six police officers that walked off the job.
Scruggs said he resigned Monday morning after having a disagreement with Mayor Antone.
Scruggs said, “This has been an ongoing problem, the mayor can tell me how to run the department but he can’t tell me how to do my job. He can’t tell the officers how to do their jobs. This has been going on throughout my term. Friday night we had words. The mayor told me he would fire me and Alvin, Alvin is a city guy. I told him to do what he had to do. The mayor responded with I have someone that wants to take your place as a part time replacement, I’m the mayor I can do what I want and you can all be replaced. I had officers standing there, I told him my resignation letter would be on his desk Monday morning. I talked to my guys and they decided if I go they go.”
The city council went into executive session for over an hour; once out of executive session the meeting only lasted three minutes. The council voted on four motions.
They were:
The council will request an external investigation from either the attorney general or the district attorney into allegations made by the resigned police officers against the mayor’s office.
The council will request a forensic audit on the city, the municipal court and the police department.
The council accepts the resignation of David Scruggs as police chief and the other officers.
The council is requesting the services of the Butler County Sherriff’s Office to provide law enforcement in Georgiana for the next two weeks until Mayor Antone appoints a new police chief.
When the meeting was over some residents could be heard demanding the mayor’s resignation. The chants did not faze the mayor at all.
Mayor Antone said, “I will run the city like it is supposed to be run, not the way they think it should be. I was voted in; I did not walk into this. I had nearly 300 votes; I was elected. Whether they like me being elected or not is their problem.”
Since the meeting Officer Garret Goodson has been named interim police chief and three officers have returned to duty. The city council hopes to have a new chief by the next council meeting on Nov. 7.
