Suspended Ashland police chief’s lawyer calls removal illegal after Board announces public hearing
ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)
The lawyer for Ashland’s suspended police chief said in an email that Gabe Edwards’ removal was illegal, a day after the city’s Board of Aldermen announced a hearing to determine his employment status.
The Board of Aldermen will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Dec. 7, to determine if it will fire Edwards.
“The reason for this meeting is to fix the illegal and botched removal of Chief Edwards from his position of Police Chief, which occurred on July 17, 2023,” according to a Wednesday email from Matt Uhrig. “The City locked him out of City buildings; took away his access to computers; had him turn in his service weapon; and, appointed a new police chief.”
Edwards has been suspended since July 17. City leaders have not said why they put Edwards on leave. Scott Young was picked as the interim chief on July 27.
“During this time the City argued that the chief had not been removed, which is a ridiculous reading of Missouri law. Missouri statutes state that before the City of Ashland can remove a police chief they must provide written notice to the Chief that the City seeks his removal. The notice must be provided at least ten business days prior to a meeting at which the Chief's removal will be voted on,” the email from Uhrig reads. “The notice must specify the grounds for removal and include a statement of facts that are alleged to constitute just cause for the chief's removal. The notice must state the date, time and location of the meeting where the Chief's removal will be considered. The Chief must be given an opportunity to be heard and to call witnesses. The City did not do that prior to July 17, 2023.”
The Board of Aldermen reviewed a memo from Callaway County Prosecutor Benjamin Miller during a closed session on Tuesday. The memo states that Miller felt Edwards could be charged with misuse of official information for getting information through the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System for non-work-related reasons.
However, Miller wrote in the memo that he had not filed charges because the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control had not submitted a probable cause statement. Miller said he asked the patrol for a probable cause statement on Oct. 4 but never received one.
In a Nov. 14 statement, City Administrator Kyle Michel referred to the timeframe as an "unusual delay."
Edwards filed a lawsuit against the city on Oct. 23 saying that the city removed him from the job illegally because he criticized the mayor on social media. Several days after the lawsuit was filed, the city released a statement saying that officials were aware of the lawsuit but clarified that Edwards was still employed.
The attorney for the City of Ashland moved the case to federal court last week. The notice of removal stated Edwards’ claims include alleged violations of federal laws.
According to a previous press release, Edwards will be on leave until at least the end of MSHP's investigation. The Missouri State Highway Patrol opened its investigation in August.
In a separate lawsuit against the city, a former Ashland police officer claimed in court documents that Edwards was placed on leave three days after he reported alleged misconduct by the chief of police. Edwards was not explicitly named in the lawsuit; however, the timeframe aligns with Edwards’ tenure as police chief.
