Police chief made ‘unforgivable’ advances on officer’s wife, NC town says. He’s fired

A North Carolina police chief accused of making “reprehensible” advances on another officer’s wife was fired, town officials said.

An Oct. 16 termination letter admonishes the Mars Hill chief and lists the attempted relationship as one of the primary reasons for his removal.

“Your conduct in attempting to pursue a romantic relationship with the wife of one of your officers is reprehensible,” Mars Hill town manager Nathan Bennett said in the letter. “To actively solicit that relationship is unforgivable and put your entire Department and the Town of Mars Hill at risk.”

In an interview with The News-Record & Sentinel, Bennett relayed his conversation with the former chief.

“He said, ‘It’s not what it looks like,’ and said, ‘Well, I need to go apologize to (the officer),’” Bennet told the news outlet.

Bennett said the chief committed “blatant” insubordination by trying to talk to the officer after he told him not to. Bennett also accused the chief of lying to him and the town’s investigator.

The former chief declined to comment to The News-Record & Sentinel, saying the issue was a personal matter.

McClatchy News reached out to the town administration and police department, but they did not have a comment.

In the termination letter, Bennett also accused the former chief of failing to safely lock his firearms in his office and using his town-issued vehicle while off-duty.

Bennett said the chief’s attempts toward the officer’s wife “showed great lack of judgment, and could have resulted in a situation where you would have been publicly embarrassed and embarrassed this Town.”

The Mars Hill Police Department has a new chief, who was promoted Jan. 1, Bennett told McClatchy News.

Mars Hill is in Madison County, about 20 miles north of Asheville.

This story was originally published January 9, 2024 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Police chief made ‘unforgivable’ advances on officer’s wife, NC town says. He’s fired."