CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — The city of Circleville has placed another acting deputy chief on administrative leave citing an ongoing investigation.
According to a release from Mayor Michelle Blanton, acting deputy chief Jon Farrelly was placed on administrative leave "to ensure a fair and impartial process." Blanton did not reveal why the investigation was launched.
“This does not imply any prejudgment or conclusions. The investigation is being conducted thoroughly, and we are working diligently to ensure that all relevant facts are carefully reviewed,” the letter said.
No further details were released.
This comes after both former police chief Shawn Baer and his fill-in, former acting police chief Doug Davis, were placed on leave. The city said both were placed on leave due to an investigation into alleged employee misconduct.
“I was pretty shocked when I heard the news about this. I just thought we were at a place of normalcy. The whole scandal was kind of calming down and we were back to business as usual. Unfortunately, this came out of the woodwork from an incident that might have happened sometime last year,” Councilmember Zack Brooks told 10TV.
Brooks said public response needs to be an ongoing thing and hopes for more transparency and communication.
"I think we should be very open and clear about what is going on and try to ensure the people of Circleville that we're doing the best to resolve this problem to try to get to the bottom of this investigation," Brooks said.
Circleville city officials also fired its safety director less than two weeks after Baer was placed on administrative leave. Steve Wilkinson was fired three days after he was hired for the role. He told 10TV that the swearing-in ceremony happened in secret and Blanton never publicly announced his role.
City officials did not provide specific details on why Wilkinson was terminated from his position.
In April, Circleville City Council voted in favor of separation and release agreements for Baer and Davis. The council allowed Baer to retire and Davis to resign.
In a statement, the city said, "The decision to enter into Separation Agreements with Chief Baer and Deputy Chief Davis was made to avoid further disruption in the City's Police Department and minimize future legal costs incurred by the City."