A North Carolina town terminated the town manager after the entire police force quit and crime began to rise.
The Kenly Town Council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to fire town manager Justine Jones just three months into her two-year contract, the New York Post reports.
The vote was held after a month-long investigation into claims by former Police Chief Josh Gibson, his five officers, an assistant town manager and a key clerk — all of whom quit in July.
Jones was blamed for creating a “hostile work environment” that led to the mass resignation of the entire police department.
Jones will take home a severance package worth about $50,000 — half her salary plus benefits, the Post reported.
“Although I was not able to accomplish all the goals in progress in the short time I served the Town, given my untimely departure, my commitment to leaving Kenly better than I found it is an accomplishment I will always be proud of,” Jones said in a statement.
In 2016, Jones sued Richland County for terminating her after she reported multiple cases of fraud and wrongdoing. She sued the county for whistleblower retaliation, as well as race, gender, and disability discrimination.
Jones was former assistant director of the Office of Small Business Opportunities in Richland County from 2012 to 2015.
Jones said council members retaliated against her for rejecting applications from certain small businesses for road work in the county.
Kenly is without a town manager and a police force. The search for a new town manager is ongoing.
