Local News in Brief : Embattled Police Chief Calls It Quits
Claremont Police Chief Dexter Atkinson resigned Tuesday at the conclusion of a city investigation into his administrative practices, including his decision to allow a convicted drunk driver to work off a 120-day jail sentence by making renovations to the police station.
City Manager Glenn Southard said the exact reasons for Atkinson’s resignation and the results of the city’s investigation were confidential. But Atkinson, an 18-year veteran of the department who had been chief since 1986, will receive a $60,000 severence payment in return for his promise not to pursue legal action against the city, Southard said. Atkinson could not be reached for comment.
Atkinson had been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 4, when Southard asked county prosecutors to investigate whether Atkinson broke the law by letting Claremont contractor John Donald Barber do remodeling work in lieu of serving 120 days in jail for his third drunk-driving conviction.
Last month, Deputy District Atty. Lawrence Mason announced that he lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute Atkinson.
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