Weaver, AL – Retired Lieutenant, Chuck Plitt, relied on social media to express his concerns about Alabama Senate Candidate, Wayne Willis. The Calhoun Journal contacted Mr. Plitt to further discuss his concerns. The first item that Plitt discussed was a day that Willis, as Mayor of Weaver, contacted a sergeant, Lt. Plitt, and Police Chief Bush and requested they come into the office to discuss Weaver Police Department’s patrol and enforcement on Hwy 21. Plitt stated, “Willis was angry and began to accuse some of our officers of ‘bird-dogging’ on Hwy 21.” Willis told them that there were a couple of bad traffic stops that occurred one night where a girl was stopped and “started crying” because of the way she was treated by the officer and a second incident where a police officer in the parking lot of Hero’s harassed a black couple for no reason. Plitt explained that Willis wanted the police department to stop working the Hwy 21 area as hard as they were and to focus more within the inner-city limits. Plitt also stated, “Willis demanded that he be given a department radio so he could monitor the radio traffic.” Plitt responded that he didn’t believe they could assign him a radio since they are for first responders only. A radio was later assigned to Willis after the department contacted someone in Montgomery and learned that he could be assigned a radio without any ramifications to the Weaver Police Department.
Plitt went on to say, “The allegations against the officers were serious in nature and both the Chief and I immediately initiated an investigation into the traffic stops on that evening. Plitt further stated that he looked at all of the body camera footage from that night and was unable to find any questionable events from any officers during that timeframe. The Calhoun Journal contacted the Weaver Police Chief, Wayne Bush, who advised he was unable to discuss any internal investigations but could state the outcome. Chief Bush stated, “The outcome of the investigation resulted in no actions being taken against any officers.” We also contacted Weaver Mayor, Wayne Willis, to discuss the concerns against him. Mayor Willis stated, “I didn’t see any of the traffic stops that were made; I was contacted by a couple of residents and business owners that complained to me about those situations. Whenever I receive a complaint, I try to get a resolution as quickly as possible. Personally, I was glad to hear that none of the officers had done the things that were reported.”
Plitt explained that he had his officers work on Hwy 21 to help keep the crime rates down in Weaver. “By seeing us on Hwy 21 the criminals would be less likely to go through our city and commit crimes. I was able to also show statistics where when department doesn’t have a heavy presence there is an increase of property crimes like theft.” Wayne Willis said, “As a Mayor I have a responsibility to the community and how we are perceived. As a retired police lieutenant from the City of Anniston, I also understand the needs for patrolling and maintaining a large visible presence. It is a difficult balance to maintain in today’s “defund the police” mentality.”
The second item that Mr. Plitt discussed was an ethics complaint that was filed against the Weaver Police Department. Plitt stated, “Willis filed an ethics complaint against the Weaver Police Department. The Weaver Police Department had received a $200,000 trust fund from a Weaver resident [Gladys Owens] that passed away. The trust was to be used by the department to make purchases of equipment or to help increase morale within the agency that was above their regular operating budget. Plitt said, “Ms. Owens lived alone since her husband passed away. We (the police department) would stop by to check on her often to make sure she was ok. She loved to tell us her stories and she was a really good storyteller.” Plitt explained that the department worked closely with Attorney Joe Maloney, who was responsible for overseeing the trust, to ensure that all transactions were held strictly to the requirements of the will and trust. Some of the funds were dispersed as $1,000 Christmas bonuses to employees of the police department to help boost morale. Use of the funds also included the purchase of a new K-9 for the department and various equipment. Plitt said, “During the COVID outbreak we were approached by some of our officers to see if any of the funds could help their families during the quarantine. First responders were not eligible for most of the COVID relief funding, so if their spouses were suddenly laid off, it became a financial burden with no solution. We contacted Joe Maloney to see if there was a way to utilize some of the money to assist our officers and help maintain morale.” The determination was made, and each employee received a $4,000 “relief bonus” to assist their families.
Plitt also advised, “We intentionally kept the Mayor and City Council unaware of the money we received because we were concerned that we would lose a portion of the police budget if they knew there was a trust set up for us. We did check with the attorney who advised that we did not have an obligation to inform them of the funds.”
In 2020, Weaver Mayor Pro-Tem, Jeff Clendenning, was approached by a community member asking him about the $4,000 bonus given by the police department. Jeff Clendenning said, “I began looking into it for a couple of days and then brought it to Mayor Willis.” Wayne Willis explained that approached Chief Bush to ask him if he knew anything about the money and learned about the trust for the first time. Plitt stated that when Willis was done speaking his closing sentence was, “You guys better get a good attorney.” Each member of the City Council was informed of the funds and it was discussed on official levels. Jeff Clendenning said, “We all agreed that this could possibly be an ethics violation and it needed to be looked into further. We just wanted to make sure we did everything right and it is our duty to protect the city.” City Councilman, Clint Burns, said, “I remember that because it happened right after I was elected. We did all discuss it on more than one occasion and I agreed that it needed to be given to the ethics board to be looked at.” City Councilwoman, Cathy Hamby, said, “I was newly elected when the concern about the money came up. I also agreed that this needed to be sent to the ethics board.” Mrs. Hamby stated, “I was concerned because it came as a surprise and the Police Department was not forthcoming. It is my responsibility to look out for the city.” Councilman, Tim McRae, said, “I know this matter was discussed a few times among other members while we tried to figure out what we needed to do. I do agree with the decision to submit this to the ethics board. Now that we knew about it [the money] we wanted to make sure the city was protected. I had no problem with them keeping the money, I just wanted to make sure it was ethical.” Per another representative of the City of Weaver, the attorney handling the trust, Mr. Joe Maloney, also refused to provide a copy of the documentation when it was requested by the City.
The Weaver City Council brought their concerns to the City Attorney, Jason Odom, who agreed that it should be looked into further and forwarded the information to Calhoun County District Attorney, Brian McVeigh. Mr. McVeigh told the Calhoun Journal, “I remember the City of Weaver contacted me and wanted to make sure there were no violations and I referred it to the ethics department.”
The Alabama Ethics Commission did look into the matter and determined that there was no violation committed by the Weaver Police Department. Willis stated, “I am glad there was no violation, but I want everyone to understand that I did not unilaterally submit the complaint to the ethics board. This was something that was brought to me by a member of the city council and then went through a lot of conversations before a decision to file a complaint was made. I like Chief Bush very much and believe he is a great asset for Weaver, but when this type of event happens, it has to be looked into.”
