Circleville Mayor Michelle Blanton placed the city's acting police chief on paid leave as the city investigates him for alleged misconduct.
Mayor Blanton announced Tuesday in a press release that Deputy Chief Doug Davis, who was serving as acting police chief, was placed on paid leave as the city investigates him for alleged misconduct.
This comes after the city fired an officer for releasing a K-9 on a Black truck driver in July, police chief Shawn Baer was placed on paid leave earlier this month and Safety Director Steven Wilkinson was fired after he was hired seven days prior.
Blanton did not elaborate on details about Davis' alleged misconduct in the release.
The Columbus Dispatch reported Wilkinson said Davis assaulted someone at a March 14 meeting with Blanton and members of the Circleville City Council. Wilkinson said at a city council meeting last week that Blanton left that meeting distraught and police and paramedics were dispatched.
According to public records requested by WOSU, including Davis' personnel file, Davis has had a rocky tenure since being hired by Circleville in 2013. Since that time, he has lodged complaints against fellow officers both inside and outside the department for allegedly discriminating against him and bullying him because of an injury he suffered in 2009.
Davis alleged this misconduct took place for years.
Davis also was placed on administrative leave in 2022 after a fellow officer accused him of racially profiling someone during a traffic stop.
Davis was promoted to be the department's deputy chief just before he was placed on leave during this investigation. He was taken off leave in late 2022.
Wilkinson's personnel file did not reveal what may have led to him being fired.
Wilkinson told city council that he wanted to fix the department's problems but was fired by Blanton. He called Blanton a coward at the meeting and said she caved to the demands of Baer and Davis.
Blanton did not say who will be in charge of the department following Davis' paid suspension.
"In the meantime the Circleville Police Department is in the capable hands of experienced leaders within the agency," Blanton said.
