Group gathers to protest reinstatement of Auxvasse police chief

AUXVASSE, Mo. (KMIZ)

A group of about 30 people gathered in Auxvasse on Friday night to protest the reinstatement of the town's police chief.

Chief Kevin Suedmeyer was placed on leave without pay on June 11 during an investigation of his personal Facebook posts. Records obtained by ABC 17 News indicate the posts were critical of protests across the country.

The Board of Alderman voted to reinstate Suedmeyer and give him a verbal warning the following day. It was initially a tie with two members of the board voting yes and two members opposing the reinstatement. The mayor broke the tie by voting yes, according to meeting documents.

The organizer of Friday night's protest said she wants Suedmeyer to resign.

"I started this protest to protest the chief of police, his reinstatement after some very disturbing comments he made on his person Facebook," Aleigha Turner said. "(I'm) trying to get the word out that we don't need a chief of police that has these views..."

At one point during the demonstration, a group of several people showed up in support of the police chief.