North Carolina police chief says he quit after black town manager gave them ‘crazy write-ups’

A police chief claims that he and four other staff members quit after their ‘hostile’ black town manager gave them ‘crazy write-ups’ for speaking to the public while on duty, as she was fired from her job following the resignations. 

Ex-chief Josh Gibson of Police in Kenly, North Carolina, stepped down from his role after clashing with Justine Jones, the town manager, repeatedly since she took the post in June. Jones was fired Tuesday night, with Gibson now speaking out about their testy relationship. 

City Council officials voted 3-2 to oust Jones, during an emergency meeting that followed a month-long investigation into the department’s allegations.

Gibson, who had worked the job for 20 years, and four of his staff members handed in their resignation letters to both Jones and city council last month.

They were joined by two town clerks who also accused the manager of creating a toxic and ‘hostile’ work environment for the city employees.

Jones unsuccessfully sued her previous employer for gender and racial discrimination.

In the seven resignation letters, neither the clerks nor the five officers specified what stress or hostility spurred them to quit. 

Jason Tedder, the former lieutenant for the Kenly Police Department claimed that Jones would demand calls or emails to make appointments to see her. 

He said that Gibson would get ‘crazy write ups’ for things like being late or stopping to talk with business owners on duty. 

He told the Herald Sun: ‘No one wants to be a cop. The people that worked here were (here) because they loved their job and the people that worked here. 

‘It took us a year to fill two (officer) positions because we don’t get any applications here.’

Patrol officer Darren Pate said there had been a communication issue and that he wanted Jones fired but has no plans of returning.

He said: ‘At the last public meeting the Town Council sent a clear message that they do not all support us by voting to seek a new police chief and then hire new officers.

‘I just do not feel like that will be a good place for me to go back and work.’

The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office is providing security for the town while it looks for police and a new manager.  

Jones lodged a legal claim against a previous employer, claiming that she was sacked after reporting wrongdoing both in writing and orally, and that she was discriminated against because of her race.

However the court dismissed her claim, ruling that as she had not’ exhausted all available grievance or other administrative remedies’.

Following the resignations, Kenly residents were split on whether the matter was a ‘race issue’ given that Jones is black – in contrast to the small-town police department, which is entirely white.

Following Jones’ firing, the jilted town manager expressed sadness over being axed less than two months into her tenure, and insisted that during that time she made the town – which has roughly 2,000 residents – a better place.

‘Having been selected for the position from 30 other candidates,’ Jones wrote in a statement, ‘I believe I was selected because my core principles clearly spoke to who I am as a leader and this same management philosophy guides me in performing my job professionally, with integrity, transparency, loyalty, fairness and accountability.’ 

The nixed city official then went on to touch on the investigation spearheaded by Town Attorney Chip Hewett, which found no evidence that Jones created a hostile environment.

‘While all related information is certainly a matter of public concern, the allegations made against me were timely and thoroughly vetted by independent sources and there was no such finding of wrong doing by me or my office,’ Jones wrote. 

‘The decision to not communicate the entire story and publicly share the findings of the report is most unfortunate.’

Jones, a middle-aged black woman, sued her previous employer – Richland County, South Carolina – for gender and racial discrimination after her firing. The suit says she worked as manager of research and was an assistant director.

During her tenure with the county, Jones herself alleged ‘hostile’ treatment by and retaliation for reporting bad behavior by other city workers and that she was not paid fairly and was treated differently due to illness. 

The suit did not specify what illness she was referring to. 

Those accusations came after she had been terminated, on March 30, 2015, and her suit was subsequently dismissed. 

Jones was selected by the Kenly town council after a ‘nationwide search’ of 30 candidates, officials touted in a June press release last month. 

She’s worked in public service for the past 16 years, all in local governments, in Minnesota, Virginia, South Carolina, and now North Carolina, and has since garnered a reputation as a woke progressive.

After being fired from her job in Richland County in 2015, she worked at her own consulting company before being sought out for her current position early last month.

She would go on to beat 30 other candidates, assuming her post on June 2. 

At the time of her hiring – which came nearly eight years after she was fired – the town touted the acquisition in a press release. 

Kenly Police Chief Josh Gibson, however, did not share such enthusiasm – when he and the six other city workers penned strongly worded letters to Jones giving their two-week notices. 

‘In my 21 years at the Kenly Police Department we have seen ups and downs,’ Gibson wrote, addressing the note to both Jones and the town’s city council.

‘But, especially in the last three years, we have made substantial progress that we had hoped to continue.’

He went on: ‘However, due to the hostile work environment now present in the Town of Kenly, I do not believe progress is possible.

‘I am thankful to this community for having me as the longest running chief in Johnston County. I will truly miss them.’

The post saw Gibson tag county clerks Christy Thomas and Sharon Evans, who said in their letters that were leaving their respective posts because they cannot work with the stress that Jones brings.

Neither the clerks nor the five officers specified what stress or hostility they were referring to, but Gibson did tell ABC11 that he was frustrated that the department was understaffed and that it added to the officers’ and workers’ stress.

He said: ‘It was just a lot of stress on a lot of us trying to maintain and keep coverage.

‘This is heartbreaking. The community has always been so tremendously so supportive of us.’

The other officers, Austin Hills, Jason Tedder, G.W. Strong, Darren K. Pate, all echoed their superior’s statements, saying they were fed up with the work environment created by Jones since her taking office less than two months ago.

Gibson has said he would consider returning to the police force if Jones was removed from her position. He has yet to comment on Jones’ termination.

Kenly is a small town – roughly 45 miles from Raleigh – that is about 55 percent white, with the rest of the 2,400 residents being predominantly black.

The community is small and subsequently close-knit, with citizens all knowing each other and each other’s business.