Granby's former police chief, Lt., charged with wiretapping
and get court dates
Three officers fired, one resigns, two remain after shakeup
By Newton E. Renfro
GRANBY -- Last week, after the sheriff arrested the police chief
and the department's second-in-command for the then-unspecified
alleged offenses, the two were officially charged by County
Prosecutor Greg Bridges with illegal wiretapping and released
on $2,500 bond each.
Police chief George Chandler, who had been on the job since
January, and Lt. Trevor Keller, who had been on the job a year
longer, were charged last week with illegal wiretapping, and
both are due to appear for a preliminary hearing in Division
II of Circuit Court on Monday, Sept 22.
Both had been fired at Tuesday night's City Council meeting
following service of a search warrant at the police station
by Newton County Sheriff Ron Doerge. Officer John Epperson,
who had been hired to fill in during the Fourth-of-July weekend
Old Mining Town Days celebration and still was on probation,
was also fired that night, but Bridges did not file charges
against him. Bridges said the sheriff made no allegations of
wrongdoing against Epperson.
Bridges revealed on Wednesday that the sheriff had found an
audio tape of a Sept. 4 closed session of the Police Personnel
Board (PPB).
Since all these revelations, Epperson has reportedly asked for
his job back, and the council has declined.
Also, Officer Jeanie Rees turned in two-week's notice following
the three dismissals and then, according to city sources, was
found to be taking items out of the department in violation of
orders from both Doerge and Granby Mayor Craig Hopper. Even
though the sheriff has seized the tape and the equipment used
to record it, he was apparrently concerned that there might be
some other evidence left there.
Upon the advice of City Attorney Kevin Selby, said Hopper, he
placed Rees on two week's suspension and will just let her
notice run out. The city has not informed this newspaper that
it alleged she did anything illegal.
This leaves the department with two full-time officers, Acting
Chief Thomas Craig and Officer Dennis Spence.
The apparrent purpose of the alleged taping was concern over
Epperson's job in consequence of an altercation at a Granby
home a couple of weeks before.
Already Granby residents were complaining to the mayor and to
this newspaper of supposedly high-handed behavior by some police
officers.
Epperson went to the home of Tim and Sandy Blanchard in response
to a neighbor's complaint about the Blanchard's 14-year-old son.
The complaint concerned an alleged misdeameanor. Epperson
reportedly did not have a warrant and was initially invited into
the home by Tim Blanchard.
The Blanchards later claimed that Epperson and Chief Chandler,
called in as a backup, refused to leave when asked, and the
episode escalated with hot tempers, a scuffle and charges of
police wrongdoing by the Blanchards.
Hopper said when he was informed of the incident, he immediately
ordered Epperson suspended with pay pending an investigation.
This and other incidents caused the City Council and the PPB to
hold a number of closed meetings to discuss the charges. It was
these meetings that Chandler supposedly wanted to hear.
In addition, the city auditor publicly if gently chastized the
City Council for having gone $46,180 over the police budget by
the end of the fiscal year. The council had budgeted $128,675
for the department and spent $174,855.
Part of this was authorized by the council. Chandler asked for
and got a used car for $9,000 and then asked for and got $5,000
to fix up the police station. He also got two raises and was
making $20,000 a year when fired.
This amounted to $14,000 of unbudgeted capital spending. The
budget allowed $3,500 for capital improvements, and the department
spent $31,433 -- an excess of $27,933.
Some of the money, said City Clerk JoAnn Lamp, was simply spent
by Chandler without purchasing orders (PO) as required by all city
departments.
Hopper said he had told Chandler after the auditor's report to
stop spending. Chandler agreed, said Hopper, but continued to
spend without authorization. Since then, more invoices have
come in for which there are no POs, including some $700 for
uniform shirts, decorations, badges and ribbons.
The whole thing came unravelled when someone (whose identity
has not been revealed), overheard Chandler and Keller listening
to a tape of the PPB meeting and reported to Selby, who called
in the sheriff.
At press time Tuesday night, the PPB was holding a closed meeting.
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Notes:Posted on Sept. 27, 19981. .
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