Ex-Police Chief Sues City of Canton
February 14, 2011 10:14 PM
The former Canton Police Chief is suing the entire city, as well several city employees, including the mayor and the city manager.
According to court papers, Stephan Alan Warnock says he was unlawfully suspended from the Canton Police Department, by Canton City Manager Amy Nelson.
He says that authority does not lie with her, but with the mayor.
And by doing so, she misused her power.
According to court papers, Nelson suspended Warnock for seven days, citing reasons that included failure to discuss safety concerns with his department as well as personnel issues with her.
Warnock is also accusing her of invasion of privacy, for making private matters public knowledge.
The court documents go further, saying Nelson made "no attempt what so ever to provide the employees of canton with any form of due process in her dealings with them."
Other defendants in the case besides Nelson include the mayor, city attorney, and 8 commissioners for the city of canton.
According to the court documents, their actions resulted in "extreme intentional infliction of emotional distress" to Warnock.
We contacted several city officials, and no one would comment.
We also spoke with Mr. Warnock and he declined to say anything about the case.
Warnock claims his rights were violated and he is therefore requesting a jury trial on the matter, hoping to receive punitive damages.
