The chief of the St. Albans Police Department has resigned even though allegations of sexual harassment have been called unsubstantiated.
Brent Coates, who had been chief since February, issued a statement Tuesday confirming his decision to step down despite a law firm's findings that the allegations against him were unsubstantiated.
His last day will be Friday, and Lt. Mike Mathews will take over as interim chief.
Mayor Dick Callaway said an independent legal firm conducted an investigation after the allegations surfaced but concluded they were unfounded. The mayor said Coates, however, believed he could no longer be effective in his position.
In his statement, Coates said, "Recently a complaint was filed against me, an independent entity conducted an independent review finding it 'unsubstantiated' and recommending 'no disciplinary action.'
"In the best interest of the City of St. Albans, I resign as Chief of Police effective at the end of the business day on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Chief of Police!"
Callaway asked the firm Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe of Charleston to investigate the sexual harassment allegations.
Johnnie E. Brown, an attorney with the law firm, told Callaway in a letter sent Friday that he had interviewed four people and reviewed many pages of documentation.
"I am of the opinion that insufficient evidence exists to warrant a finding of sexual harassment," Brown wrote. "As I further stated, I am of the opinion that insufficient evidence exists to warrant a finding of inappropriate work behavior on behalf of Chief Coates."
Brown did not recommend any discipline.
As part of his statement, Coates provided a long list of his accomplishments since his appointment, including increased parking and traffic citations; the procurement of grants for officer equipment; improvements in neighborhood watch programs; and a decrease in crime.
Coates, who was hired in February after retiring from the Florida Highway Patrol, actually was under investigation in Florida on unrelated allegations when he started at St. Albans.
Capt. Mark Brown, chief public affairs officer with the Florida Highway Patrol, said it was the agency's policy not to comment on former employees but provided the Daily Mail with an Internal Affairs summary on Coates.
The summary described several alleged infractions by Coates, some dating back more than 25 years.
He was in two wrecks involving cruisers but was exonerated in one instance in which he was rear-ended. That was in 1984. In 2001, he received a citation for pulling out of a station and colliding with another vehicle.
In 1990 and 1992 incidents, he was found to have violated the agency's pursuit policy.
The most recent complaint involved his conduct with another employee.
The employee filed a complaint against Coates after an Oct. 26, 2009 incident. Coates at the time was a major and served as troop commander at the Bradenton office, according to his resume.
The summary stated, "Employee created a hostile work environment that affected the complainant's future promotional development during a week long training class in Tallahassee."
Internal Affairs investigators looked into the complaint and determined the allegations to be unfounded and no action was taken. That determination came Feb. 18, 2011, four days after he started working in St. Albans.
Callaway said Coates came with "wonderful credentials."
"We contacted the highway patrol in Florida to confirm his resume was correct, and they said it was," Callaway said. "There were a few individuals around here who knew him personally."
As for Coates' resume, "it was to our satisfaction," the mayor said. "He met our standards as to what we wanted in a chief."
Callaway said he learned later an investigation of Coates was ongoing when he was hired by St. Albans. He noted that those allegations were proved to be unfounded.
Capt. James Agee, who was acting police chief while Coates was placed on temporary leave, said he did not want the position of chief.
"That offer has gone somewhere else; I'm kind of glad this is off my plate. We're all just anxious to move forward," Agee said.
Callaway expected a smooth transition in leadership in the police department. He said the department would be making transitional arrangements between Wednesday and Friday.
City officials will begin searching for a new chief next week.
Reporter Ashley Craig also contributed to this story.
Contact writer Cheryl Caswell at [email protected] or 304-348-4832
Copyright 2011 Charleston Newspapers
