MELVINDALE, Mich. – After two days of hearings, there is no longer any mystery surrounding why the City of Melvindale suspended Police Chief Chad Hayse. He has now been fired by a unanimous vote.
Hayse brought in fellow officers to defend him, but it wasn’t enough. He was facing charges of inappropriate posts on social media, failing to provide council with accurate information about a 911 dispatch merger, creating a toxic work environment and routinely and publicly calling the mayor and city attorney corrupt, among other obscenities we can’t list here.
After his termination, Hayse had little to say.
"It’s been an honor to serve the people of Melvindale, and I look forward to my future," he said.
Hayse would not comment on whether he plans to sue the city over his termination.
City Council President Nicole Barnes is the one who filed the complaint against Hayse that ultimately led to tonight’s firing.
"I was tired of being lied to," Barnes told Local 4. "Chad Hayse would come to the council meetings and lie straight to our faces."
Hayse was suspended Aug. 3 during a closed session after a heated meeting. Council member Nicole Barnes proposed the motion for his suspension.
He was on the defense Monday night as the reasons he's been sidelined were finally revealed.
Within the charges are allegations that the chief hated the towing company that landed the city contract last year -- Goch and Sons. He allegedly hated it so much he ordered his guys to stop towing cars unless absolutely necessary -- an order he issued soon after violated the law, according to the city council and its attorneys.
READ: Car crashes into gas line, causing explosion in Melvindale
Monday brought more than three hours of contentious grilling by the City Council, the mayor and outside counsel.
Charges discussed Monday included:
- Making disparaging social media posts and then lying to council and the mayor about them
- Making misleading statements about the future of a 911 dispatch merger
- Suspending an officer without going through proper procedures
- Issuing an illegal order to officers that said, "You will notify the desk officer the conditions which merit towing the vehicle, including driver gender and age..."