The Commercial Point village police chief was found not guilty on six administrative charges Monday night in a trial conducted at a village council meeting; that means he gets to keep his job, for now.
Police Chief Adam Jordan was charged with violating village ordinances, state law, and polices by Mayor Gary Joiner. Jordan was put on trial Monday night at the village’s council meeting where the mayor acted as a prosecutor and presented the cases to the town’s council, who acted as a jury; the procedure is what has to be followed by state law if a mayor seeks the firing of a police chief. Voted on like a criminal trial, if found guilty by the village council, the chief is removed from his job.
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The chief was accused of a host of allegations, including:
- The chief was accused of not giving a police officer a “properly fitting” bullet proof vest, which the mayor alleged was in violation of previous council orders that the officer receive a new vest.
- The chief was accused of dereliction of duty for not wearing his uniform to a local festival, which the chief said he attended off-duty as a private citizen; the Mayor argued the chief was in violation of policies for not wearing his uniform.
- The chief was accused of responding to an overdose and leaving behind a police department plastic bag with a pill in it that was found inside the home. The mayor alleged the chief failed to secure evidence in a “homicide.” The chief argued the call for service was an accidental overdose and therefore, no “evidence” was ever collected, thus, the “evidence bag” found inside the home a couple days later unsealed was not “evidence” at all.
- The chief was accused of not properly conducting an investigation when disciplining an officer.
- The chief was accused of patrolling a certain portion of highway inside the village limits that the mayor had previously ordered in a directive to not be policed.
Jordan was represented by his lawyer, Justin A. Morocco, from Dublin, who defended the charges. Jordan was found “not guilty” on the first six charges by the village council after deliberations that took about a half-hour.
At approximately 10:15 p.m., the village council voted to continue the proceedings another night — yet to be determined — for the remaining three charges; that date has not been set. The Guardian asked the mayor for a copy of the charges presented Monday night, along with those yet to be presented, however, the mayor said to “come back on Monday” and ask for copies. It’s not clear to the Guardian what the remaining charges are.
Jordan will stay on the job, for now, pending the outcome of the remaining three charges. The mayor would not answer any questions after the meeting except to say, “nothing” when asked by a reporter, “what happens next?”
In 2018, Joiner was arrested by Jordan, handcuffed, and taken to jail on criminal charges. Among them, the mayor was accused of illegally dumping trash. Those charges were dismissed by the county prosecutor.
Joiner’s term expires at the end of this year, but he is on the ballot during today’s election seeking another term.
