(Correction: 9/19/2024 5:50PM)
Near the end of the September council meeting Alexander Council Member Harold Timmerman handed out to council members copies of an incident report filed with the Saline County Sheriff's Office. The report is a joint complaint filed by not only Timmerman but Council Member Juanita Wilson and former Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell.
The incident occurred on Thursday, September 5 on West Azalea, in front of Mitchell's home around 2:00 PM. According to Timmerman the cause apparently began minutes earlier while driving on Highway 111 near the former Human Development Center property. Timmerman said he and Wilson were in her car putting up election signs.
Timmerman said Alexander street department employee Rodney Hendrix, "[W]alked across the road (Hwy. 111) about a hundred fifty-two hundred feet ahead of us. He comes over to the west side, he gets up and walks up the white line. He did not step off the road for oncoming traffic."
Timmerman said he and Wilson proceeded to Mitchell's home on West Azalea to ask permission to place election signs on his property. While the three of them were standing along West Azalea Timmerman said Hendrix pulled up.
"(A) City pickup truck pulled up by the mailbox out there about 8-10 feet from me and a gentleman driving the truck, Mr. Hendrix, started calling me all kinds of filthy names," Timmerman said. "I'm not going to repeat the names ... he called me."
"I mean four or five times he called me these filthy names," Timmerman continued. "The mayor (Mayor Crystal Herrmann) was sitting right in the truck beside him. Right in the truck beside him. She did not tell him to say anything to him after about two minutes and I said I wasn't driving; and she said shut up and don't go on and they left."
Timmerman then laid down an ultimatum.
"If that man is not fired in the next 48 hours I'm going down and filed charges against him and the mayor," he said.
"I'm going to file some personal harassment charges against a couple of folks myself," Herrmann shot back.
Forty-Eight hours should be end of day Wednesday, September 18.
Hendrix has been with the street department since 2023. He was hired not long after Herrmann became mayor.
Taking the report (#2024-2695) was Saline County Sheriff's Detective Jennifer Tarvin. At the end of the report she wrote, "I will send a review file to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office for a charging decision on Disorderly Conduct, 5-71-207."
Once again, there are facts missing from this article. Mayor Herrmann did NOT hire Rodney Hendrix, David Durham did.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am shocked that council members and people like yourself would discuss personnel matters knowing that they can not be discussed in the public but in executive session only.
Whether Mr. Hendrix said anything or not, did an elected official really try to hinder a citizens freedom of speech by filing this false report.
Not to mention the COUNTLESS times that Council member Juanita Wilson has harassed multiple city employees, some so much that they quit....
This whole report and issue is a joke!!!!
I made the correction, sort of. Although I doubt Dave had a choice.
DeleteWhat facts are "Missing?"
I was not part of the discussion.
The only time there is an executive session is to discuss the potential "Hiring, firing, or disciplining of an employee or officer." It had not reached that stage. In fact, the "discussion" was all one-sided.
As for Freedom of Speech, under state law it is illegal to harass an elected official. It will be up to the prosecutor to decide where this falls into state law. I'm assuming the prosecutor will interview the mayor and Mr. Hendrix. There should be a final report issued at some point.
Where is your evidence this report is false? This is a three-way complaint.
How and when has Ms. Wilson "harassed multiple city employees?" What makes you think she is the cause of our recent turn-over of staff?
We will have to allow this to play out to determine how much of a joke it is.