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| Former Knoxville Police Chief Re-Hired; Alderman Walks Out After Vote |
UPDATED: 10:26pm 6/1/09 A former police chief in the City of Knoxville who has come under recent scrutiny will be re-hired as a full time patrol officer.
The Knoxville City Council Monday night was deadlocked four to four on a proposal to hire back Rick Pecsi, who allegedly shot a neighbor's dog with a pellet gun. Knoxville Mayor Terry Pool broke the tie by casting a vote in favor of Pesci's re-hiring, with stipulations that Pesci's legal fees will be paid and seniority will be reinstated, among other stipulations.
Pool tells WGIL he had no problem casting the deciding vote in favor of Pecsi. "If you look at (Pesci's) performance for the past year, he's had a very good evaluation by his Chief of Police," Pool said. "He's been a very good employee as far as records show."
First Ward Alderman Lester Naslund remained vocal in opposition to rehiring Pecsi, claiming he even suggested in closed session that placing Pecsi on administrative leave could have been the route to go but said nobody wanted that. He even walked out of the meeting after the vote was taken.
Pool tells WGIL he wasn't too pleased with Naslund walking out on the council. "I wish (Naslund) would have stayed for the rest of the meeting," Pool said. "He kind of shows his immaturity level leaving in the middle of a meeting just because a vote didn't go the way he wanted it to go."
In addition, Alderman Kirk Heller refused to talk to media representatives citing a letter to the editor printed in Monday's Galesburg Register-Mail. Attempts to reach both Heller and Naslund were unsuccessful.
An investigation into the alleged dog shooting incident is ongoing. |
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| 06 01 09 by Newsroom |
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