Request to remove mayor’s girlfriend not mentioned in Ashland police report
ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)
A police report detailing the response to a domestic dispute does not mention Ashland's mayor requesting his girlfriend be removed from their home.
Ashland Police Chief Lyn Woolford filed a lawsuit against the City of Ashland and its mayor Monday after city officials placed him on administrative leave.
The lawsuit states Mayor Gene Rhorer removed Woolford as city administrator and later suspended him as chief after Woolford twice refused to have officers remove Rhorer’s girlfriend from Rhorer’s home.
ABC 17 News requested reports on police incidents at Rhorer’s home since Jan. 1, 2019. One report details a call about a domestic dispute March 22 -- seven days before Woolford was removed as administrator. However, the officer’s narrative does not mention Rhorer asking police to remove his girlfriend.
The request only turned up one other report, in which Rhorer's girlfriend is not a party to the reported incident.
Woolford’s attorney, Matthew Uhrig, did not respond to a request for comment.
Woolford's suspension has drawn a strong response from some community members who say they support the chief. Scores of them packed a board of aldermen meeting Tuesday night.
City officials have been quiet about why Woolford was suspended, citing legal protections for personnel information. However, Ashland Board of Aldermen members say the city's public safety is not affected by Woolford's absence.
Ashland has seven full-time police officers and a couple of reserve officers, including Woolford. Ashland's city administrator put Woolford on paid administrative leave last week.
Three city officials interview by ABC 17 News said Ashland’s police staff is still able to provide 24/7 coverage in Woolford's absence.
“We’ve got a good size police force here in Ashland,” Ward 2 Alderman Jesse Bronson said. “We’ve got enough for 24/7 coverage. It shouldn’t affect anything overall.”
Bronson said Ashland has had to deal with a similar situation before.
“We’ve been through this before in the past and this isn’t anything really new,” said Bronson. “I wish it was, but it’s not. And we’ve got good coverage and good officers there. So everyone in Ashland should feel safe still.”
The city officials are not aware of any officers who would have to work overtime to make up for Woolford’s absence.
During the board of aldermen meeting on Tuesday, an alderman requested that an Ashland officer be assigned to the crosswalk near the school at Liberty Street and South Henry Clay Boulevard.
“It’s a dangerous intersection,” Branson said. “When school gets out there’s a lot of kids walking, a lot of cars going back and forth. It is a safety issue and we are going to make sure we have someone there to keep the traffic flowing.”
Woolford's current contract expires April 30 and City Administrator Tony St. Romaine said he will present a new contract to the board after the April election.
Check back for more and watch ABC 17 News at 6 for a full report.
