Documents shed light on police chief’s resignation that led to city hall shutdown in Godley
Godley’s former police chief was given a choice to resign or face an investigation after two complaints were filed against him by other officers, according to documents obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Former chief Jason Jordan left the documents in a folder for each council member before their Nov. 1 meeting. It contained copies of the two complaints, diary entries from the former chief, copies of text messages between officers and city leaders, and two accounts detailing the events leading to Jordan’s resignation.
The documents obtained by the Star-Telegram were corroborated by three council members.
Jordan’s departure was the first in a line of resignations that led to the the closing of city hall in January.
Officer Solomon Omotoya filed a complaint against the former police chief on Sept. 2. Omotoya claimed that Jordan said he regretted hiring officers who were Black or female because they were too much trouble. But Jordan argues he said the department needed more Black and female officers to keep up with the city’s changing population. Another officer, Jeremy Arbuthnot, filed a complaint against Jordan for a remark Jordan made during a Sept. 6 City Council meeting that Arbuthnot claims made fun of his body weight.
Omotoya and Arbuthnot could not be reached by phone Thursday at the Godley Police Department.
Jordan wrote to council members that the complaints were both untrue and taken out of context. He wrote that he was unaware of the complaints until a meeting with city leaders on Oct. 12, when he was given the option to be investigated or resign. He wrote a letter to the council asking to be reinstated.
The former police chief led the department from 2016 until his resignation on Nov. 4.
“Council, I believe that this was a process that was put in motion months prior to any complaint being filed,” Jordan wrote.
Former city attorney Cass Callaway asked to meet with Jordan on Oct. 12, according to two accounts written by Jordan. Callaway was joined by Mayor Acy McGehee. Callaway told Jordan that he was being put on administrative leave that would end in his resignation. The city would hire an outside firm to look into the complaints if Jordan wanted an investigation, Callaway said.
McGehee told Jordan he had lost the department’s confidence, according to the documents in the folder. In an email to the Star-Telegram late Wednesday, McGehee declined to comment and said he was only at the meeting as an “observer.”
Reached by the Star-Telegram Tuesday, Callaway said he needed to get permission from Godley’s interim city attorney to speak, citing attorney-client privilege and his “professional” and “ethical standards.” Callaway said there were things being said that were “absolutely, fundamentally” not true. Callaway did not respond to a follow-up request for comment.
Jordan wrote in one note that some officers were told by now-interim police chief Matthew Cantrell and others to write something up against Jordan. Cantrell was previously a patrol sergeant with the department.
Those officers refused to do so and were also afraid to speak out, Jordan wrote.
Cantrell did not respond to two emails requesting comment and could not be reached at the Godley Police Department by phone on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Jordan wrote that he was asked to “target city council persons for code violations in an effort to disparage them,” though it is unclear who asked Jordan to do so and how he was asked to target the council members.
Jordan chose to resign instead of dragging the city and department “into a drawn out legal battle,” he wrote in one document. The former police chief received two weeks’ salary and pay for 70 hours of unused personal time following his resignation, according to his separation agreement.
Jordan worked for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Blue Mound Police Department before coming to Godley, according to the Cleburne Times-Review. The former police chief started his career with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, where he was a jailer and deputy.
Jordan declined to talk about his resignation when reached Wednesday by the Star-Telegram, citing the terms of a nondisclosure agreement.
Since the mass resignation and the city’s shutdown, the City Council has been unable to fill positions because the mayor and two others have skipped meetings. The city administrator and city secretary resigned Dec. 27. Callaway and the court clerk have also stepped down.
The council, which meets every first and third Tuesday, did not have an agenda posted for the last meeting, rendering it unable to meet under Texas’ Open Meetings Act. McGehee and council members Jan Whitehead and Maryann Matthews haven’t shown up to the past two special called meetings. The council is scheduled to meet again Feb. 7.
Four of Godley’s five council member positions are up for election May 6. Candidate filing closes at 5 p.m. Feb. 17.
