Sturgeon ordered to give former police chief his job back

Greg Halderman will once more be the chief of police in Sturgeon.

Boone County Judge Jeff Harris ordered the city to reinstate Halderman to his job, and give him the 20 months of back pay he missed.

The city council fired Halderman in 2017 over allegations of alcohol abuse and inappropriate behavior. Harris ruled in January that the city did not follow the rules of a “contested case” during the closed-door hearing that led to Halderman’s firing.

Attorneys for the city of Sturgeon have indicated that the city council could simply move to fire Halderman once more if he was reinstated. Harris wrote that if that happened, the city must follow state law.