Jonesboro Mayor Donya Sartor has made the bold move of terminating Police Chief Tommy Henderson, effective immediately, with many city-owned items demanded back at the city hall—from keys to computers to weapons—as the FOX 5 I-Team reported. In the brief and pointed termination letter confirmed by Channel 2, Sartor conveyed her wishes for Henderson's future endeavors, stripping him of his title and the trappings of his station without public explanation. Henderson's ouster comes amidst recent controversial episodes, including refunding over 1,200 automated speed camera citations due to a glitch and past allegations against Sartor, which the Clayton County District Attorney dismissed.
Putting the city's police leadership in check and exercising her executive powers, Sartor has appointed Lt. Chris Cato as the interim chief of police, pending a city council nod scheduled to follow on Monday, as she prepares to take the oath of office again after a victorious re-election campaign. The Lieutenant's confirmation is another consequential item on a busy council agenda. Under Sartor's expanding administrative changes, Sartor canned another officer, Triplett, who shared with Channel 2's Ashli Lincoln that his termination hinged on his breaking of departmental policy by engaging the press and criticizing agency practice.
The mayor's terse response to the firing, consisting of merely three words, "I can't," followed by a prompt disconnection from a reporter's call for clarification, has only fueled speculation but revealed nothing of her motivations or the immediate catalyst for Henderson's abrupt departure from law enforcement leadership. Equally silent is Henderson, who did not immediately offer any comments or responses to calls.
