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Sat Nov 21 00:24:17 PST 2009

NEWS

Only on 12: Community wants mayor, city council out after vote to suspend chief

Chris Thomas

News 12 at 6 o'clock, November 20, 2009 STAPLETON, Ga.---The fallout keeps coming after a deadly chase in Jefferson County earlier this month. The Stapleton police chief has been suspended, and the community is in an uproar after violent results. "It shocked me so bad," said Telisha McGruder who was robbed at gunpoint. "I peed on myself. I was just so scared. I was like, 'Is this really happening?'" The robbery happened just after a front page headline that read, "Stapleton police chief put on paid leave by mayor". "Everybody knows that's the only police officer we have here in Stapleton," said resident Carli Hayes. "If he hadn't been suspended," said resident Ronnie Smith, "I believe wholeheartedly that store would not have been robbed." So what happened? Stapleton mayor Harold Smith produced documents that show the chief traveled miles to assist Jefferson County deputies in a traffic stop gone wrong. A chase left two children ejected. 2-year-old Alike' Smith died. It is not clear what role, if any, the chief played in the actual chase. The report only indicated that the chief assisted deputies. "He might have went with the thought of helping out," said Mayor Harold Smith. "I don't know, but his duty lies in Stapleton." "I say that's ignorant," said Carli Hayes. News 12 dug deeper. Did the outgoing mayor want the chief out? "I haven't said anything to him like that," said the mayor. We got our hands on a recording of a recent phone conversation. "We don't want you working," said the mayor in the recording. "Who is we?" questioned the chief. "Me," replied the mayor. "There's a possibility that I did make some remarks to that effect," said Mayor Harold Smith. "Partially." "We want the city council to resign," said Ronnie. "We want the mayor to just go ahead and step down." "I'm going out of office on the first of January," said Mayor Smith. "Until then, I'll continue to do the best jobs I can do for them." That statement comes as a petition circles the town to remove the mayor now. "I know," said Ronnie. "I signed the petition myself. He is doing all he can to make it miserable for everybody that he knows voted him out. Which is the people." The city council voted to place police chief Timothy Taylor on 10 days suspension.

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