Unable to get an outside law-enforcement agency to step in, Chillicothe Mayor Jack Everson has closed his monthlong investigation of Police Chief Roger Moore.
In a statement released yesterday, Everson wrote: "The agencies contacted only become engaged (when) criminal activity may be involved and there were not even the elements of a misdemeanor in this case. ... This incident is therefore a personnel matter and is being handled accordingly."
The mayor's investigation began after a patron at the Cozy Inn called police on March 16 to report that Moore and another man were engaged in a profanity-laced argument outside of the Chillicothe bar. The incident was captured on a cellphone video, and the caller feared it would escalate into violence.
A dash-cam video surfaced that same week showing Moore protesting a speeding stop by a state trooper.
Everson requested the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation take a look at the two incidents. It declined, as did the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police.
With no witnesses willing to make on-the-record statements, Everson decided not to fire the chief.
"Any subsequent issues of any similar nature will result in progressive discipline," the mayor said in yesterday's statement.
An internal memo was issued to all city staff outlining the mayor's expectations of city employees.
"As public servants, we are expected to be accountable for our behavior 24 hours a day, and live to a higher standard," Everson wrote.
Moore took a week's leave with pay. He returned to work on March 25.
Copyright 2013 - The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
