WTF? Officer Arrested

[Cidp24]

SOURCE: http://www.clarionledger.com/article...enies-retiring

September 18, 2009



McComb ex-chief denies retiring

Gary Pettus
gpettus@clarionledger.comMcComb's former acting chief, accused of stealing a police car and impersonating a police officer, disputes that he ever retired.
Mark Anderson was not off the force and city officials knew the officer planned to return to work on Wednesday, said Anderson's attorney, Dennis Sweet of Jackson.
"He had just expressed to the city clerk that he was going to retire, then he came back and said he wasn't going to do that," Sweet said. "He then took administrative leave and said he would be back on the 16th (Wednesday). "
McComb Police Chief Greg Martin said on Wednesday that Anderson had retired from the McComb police force on Aug. 27, the day he notified the city clerk that he would do so.
Martin said he had "no idea" why Anderson walked into the police station around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday and took a patrol car, which he drove around the city for about 12 hours.
Anderson was in uniform and had a police-issue firearm with him, Martin said.
"He had no communication with me all day," Martin said.
Around 5:30 p.m., Anderson returned to the police station at the end of what would have been his shift. The Pike County Sheriff's Department served him with a warrant, Martin said.
Anderson is charged with impersonating a police officer and joy riding. He is scheduled for a Sept. 25 city court hearing on the charges.
McComb's governing body, the six-member Board of Selectmen, was to consider Tuesday whether to allow Anderson back on the police force.
Asked if Wednesday's incident eliminated the need for that discussion, Selectman Ernest Nobles said, "I think it will."
But Sweet said Anderson had notified the mayor and other officials he would be back.
"Knowing that he's coming back and then to concoct some criminal charges against him is just outrageous," Sweet said. "He had never received a notice of termination, which is required by due process of law."
But McComb's city administrator, Quordinia Lockley, said the city has documents proving Anderson was no longer employed after Aug. 27.
Anderson's personnel file contains a statement from the person serving as city personnel director at the time that Anderson said he had resigned and retired on Aug. 27 and would not be at work (the next day), Lockley said.
"There is also a notice in (Anderson's) file from the city police chief directing him to turn in all city property and equipment.
"If that's not clear information and proof that he was no longer an employee of the city of McComb, I don't know what is."
Martin called Anderson "a good police officer."
"All the employees of the Police Department as well as myself are very saddened that it had to come to this," Martin said. "I've known him for as long as he's served on the police force, about 21 1/2 years."
Nobles said he has known Anderson for years. "He grew up down the street from my grandmother," Nobles said. "I'm shocked that this happened."
During a protracted dispute with selectmen, Mayor Zach Patterson had appointed Anderson as acting police chief twice after suspending Martin, who was acting police chief at the time.
The selectmen named Martin permanent chief on July 28, about a month after stripping the mayor of his power to make hiring recommendations.
When contacted Thursday, Patterson said he had not talked to anyone about Anderson regarding Wednesday.
"I will not comment until I've found out more about it," Patterson said. "Mark Anderson is a valued officer of the McComb, Mississippi, police department, as are many of the officers."

Assuming the City is right, how did he work 12 hrs before he was arrested??

[pnasty0311]

WOW

[pgg]

Maybe they wanted a full shift out of him before telling him to F off so they wouldn't have to pay OT?

[Captain America]

What we have here is a failure to communicate.......

[Cidp24]

What we have here is a failure to communicate.......

Or an example of typical small town southern politics.

[Captain America]

Assuming the City is right, how did he work 12 hrs before he was arrested??

Why was he arrested? They couldn't call him back to the office before the end of the shift to find out what was going on? Did dispatch send him on any calls? I hope he didn't arrest anyone or write any citations or summons. Sounds like total political BS to me.

[Five-0]

That mayor sounds like a jackass, and his appointed chief doesn't seem to have a clue about what is going on with the department either.

[Dirk]

Yikes.

[MacLean]

Yikes.

That about sums it up.

[Cidp24]

In Mississippi, there must be a probable cause hearing before a warrant can be issued on an officer charged with a crime that occurred within the scope of his duties or while on duty. That adds a whole other dimension to this legal headache. Was he an officer or not? Was he on duty or not?

[pac201]

Or an example of typical small town southern politics.

+ 1...

I've seen it firsthand, just not to this extent...

[jmur5074]

That sounds like a horrible mess.

[conalabu]

21 1/2 year on the job, suddenly he is a criminal for doing his job. Small town politics are shit.

[213th]

Wow.


And since when is joy riding a crime? I drive around for hours when I'm not working...not going anywhere in particular.

[Pudge]

Wow....this one goes into the "gotta be more to the story" files.

[Shoestring]

I smell WITCH HUNT

[IndianaFuzz]

Shady.......very shady........