WAVERLY, Ohio — The police chief of Waverly resigned on Friday after several employees threatened to quit if he did not get fired, sources say.
The resignation comes after several employees of the Waverly Police Department reportedly banded together and approached the town’s mayor threatening to resign if police chief Zach Dixon wasn’t terminated, according to two law enforcement officials involved in the discussions. The employees’ complaints surrounded allegations that Dixon committed sexual harassment, distributed his own sex tape to employees, and created a hostile work environment.
“Former Chief Dixon tendered a resignation on May 14. I accepted that resignation at that time and appointed John Winfield as interim chief,” said the town’s mayor, Greg Kempton. Village council members were notified of the decision by telephone Friday afternoon.
The Guardian was the first to report that Dixon was under investigation last month after he allegedly distributed copies of his homemade sex tape to his employees. While Dixon remained on the job, Kempton hired an outside consulting firm to investigate the claims after the Guardian’s story. That was, until Friday when Dixon tendered his resignation, according to the mayor.
Kempton met with the Guardian on Friday and said that while the consulting firm interviewed several police department employees about the allegations, Dixon resigned before an official finding or report could be produced.
The mayor said that employees of the police department did not approach him threatening to leave the village without adequate police officers and dispatchers if he did not terminate Dixon. However, two law enforcement sources from inside the department told the Guardian that the meeting occurred and they were prepared to leave. In a social media posting on Friday, Kempton again said that no one discussed resignations.
The police department’s lieutenant, John Winfield, has been named as interim chief effective immediately, Kempton said. Records show Winfield has been with the department for three years. He will make $23.30 an hour in his new position.
Winfield will remain in the job as interim chief until a permanent hire can be made, Kempton told the Guardian. The mayor said that after the town’s regularly scheduled meeting this coming Tuesday, the position of Chief will be posted internally for applicants to apply.
The 45-year-old Dixon had been chief of the town of nearly 4,500 since summer 2019. Before, he was a patrolman with the village, and prior to that, he worked as a deputy at the Pike County Sheriff’s office under then-Sheriff Charlie Reader.
When the Guardian approached Dixon Friday afternoon at the police department, he refused to answer any questions about his resignation and politely replied, “no comment.”
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This article was updated to accurately reflect the mayor’s stance on the alleged resignation meeting.