Demoted Cloverdale marshal sues town

Saturday, February 9, 2008

The former marshal of Cloverdale filed a lawsuit against the town this week, claiming among other things that he was wrongly demoted to a deputy last November and was since told he would be terminated from the force altogether on March 1.

According to the complaint issued Friday by former Town Marshal Charlie Hallam and his attorney Bill Harrington, a private meeting was held Jan. 29 between Hallam, the current chief of police Don Pearson and town council president Don Sublett during which time Hallam was told he would be terminated from the force as of March 1.

This follows a November 2007 town council meeting in which town board members Sublett, Dennis Padgett and Glen Vickroy voted to demote Hallam from town marshal status to deputy status, while members John Davis and Judy Whitaker voted against.

On Jan. 15, the council voted to reduce the number of deputy marshals from it current number of three, to just two deputies.

Then came the Jan. 29 meeting in which Hallam claims he was given the notice of termination.

Hallam's attorney alleges the town violated Indiana Code and did not follow the proper procedure in terminating his client. He says the officer was entitled to go through disciplinary removal and appeals procedures through the town Safety Board.

The town's attorney Allan Yackey said the town marshal is in fact permitted to terminate deputy marshals on his own, without the consent of the Safety Board.

Hallam is seeking a permanent injunction against the town, allowing him to keep his job as deputy marshal, and monetary damages for loss of income, loss of health insurance, lost retirement benefits and loss of insurability.

Yackey called the complaint "meritless." He said he is beginning to draft his response and has 20 days to do so.

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  • He hasn't even been let go and he is already suing the town. This ought to serve as the reason the town terminates his employment before the March 1st date. I didn't think this wasn't a right to work state.

    I bet if he looses this suit he will have trouble securing employment. I guess he doesn't know that many employers do searches of the Internet before hiring employees. I guess he can then file another lawsuit against the town because his own actions keep him from being employed. When will people learn to take responsibility for their own actions.

    -- Posted by CdaleResident on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 12:34 AM
  • Why would you want to stay where your employers don't like you? Wouldn't that stress you out?

    Officer Hallam, if you win this case and get your job back, do you think things will get better? It seems that half of the town likes you and half doesn't. Unfortunately, the half that doesn't like you writes the checks.

    Without being critical to the town board or you, officer Hallam, cut your stress level now and find another department while you still have your health.

    -- Posted by strings on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 7:37 AM
  • You go for it, Charlie !!!

    -- Posted by Blue6 on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 8:50 AM
  • If(keyword there), he had done the things people have been saying he has done, this would be another story. But since he hasn't done anything wrong, his suing the town is a good idea.

    Maybe if the town had handled things differently, he wouldn't be suing the town. I think whenever employers do their said "search" on the internet that they will see that he's taking care of the things legally, instead of standing by watching people handle things illegally.

    -- Posted by trueview on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 10:24 AM
  • Goodluck Charlie!!!

    -- Posted by Belle on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 1:29 PM
  • truview, I agree with what you are saying about how things were handled. I just can't see suing someone, then work for them afterwards. Relations would be disasterous.

    Unless, of course, this lawsuit miraculously removed 4 out of 5 of the latest regime, it wouldn't make sense. Really, I've seen the videos on you tube,,, why would he want to work for that kind of mentality?

    -- Posted by strings on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 2:42 PM
  • Did the current Marshal get his last termination by the safety board when Hallam went after him and got him removed from office?? Hmmmmmm..... What goes around comes around.

    -- Posted by concerned3 on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 5:53 PM
  • I for one support Hallam and I really hope he wins and becomes Chief again or they get someone else. If you know how the town works then you should know that this is wrong. Why was Sublett sitting in on the meeting with Hallam when they told him he was fired on march 1st and no other town council members were present? Maybe Pearson is in business with Sublett (Funeral Home) Lets think back and see how many really good officers Cloverdale has lost. Why was Pearson hired back anyway? How come the town did not conduct a background check on Pearson? Let's not get started on the reserve program and the officers Pearson is trying hire. The town might want to conduct a background check on them first and check driver license history, mental status, criminal record and past employment. Then again, why would they conduct background checks on them when they didn't on Pearson?

    -- Posted by Rogger on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 7:18 PM
  • Let's have a good clean blog.

    No rabbit punches or eye gouging.

    Keep all punches on, or below the belt.

    If you get off topic, I'll call break and you must break!

    Now touch gloves and come out typing.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Sat, Feb 9, 2008, at 8:52 PM
  • The town of Cloverdale needs to terminate everyone on the force, hire the Sheriffs Department for coverage and be done with all this drama. There is no reason for adults to act this way especially when it comes to public safety. I hope someone steps up and takes contol of this in a professional manner.

    -- Posted by Reader2 on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 8:26 AM
  • For one, he's not suing the town because he's not Marshal anymore, he's suing them because they didnt go about demoting him legally. He has a right to sue because you know you would do the same exact thing if it happened to you. Everybodies just upset because they know that they handled things wrongly and now its coming back around to bite them in the butt.

    -- Posted by trueview on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 9:45 AM
  • OK, let's re-cap what we have before the Sunday lunch break;

    We have 6 "Pro Hallam" and 5 "Con Hallam" comments.

    Seems like Cdaleresident and strings posted an early onslaught with a mild offense. Blue6 and Belle flanked the weak side with quick left jabs followed by trueview with a solid right. strings seems to be dazed and undecided while concerned3 tosses a fleaflicker to an open man,, and,, OH, he gets hornswaggled by GINGB with an all out blitz.

    Rogger starts the Hallam offense with a great heartfelt formation,,, but wait,, their is a flag on the play thrown by Reader2 who thinks the game should be canceled.

    South of 40and trueview have each challenged the penalty flag with valid points of their own.

    Let's only hope for the action to stay as hot in the second quarter of play.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 11:02 AM
  • Oh man, GINGB has thrown one heck of a bomb in the last play of the quarter with a DEEP dig on someone.

    Let's look at the replay and see if we can tell where that came from!! Wow just when you think the dust has settled!

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 11:05 AM
  • GINGB, reminder, all punches are to be ON or BELOW the belt

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 11:18 AM
  • Hello Xgamer. I missed you and your views on current events. Keep up the good work on keeping us straight on what is really going on in this crazy place called Putnam County.

    -- Posted by mad-mom on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 12:32 PM
  • Sorry to disappoint but I'm not Debbie Puffer, the woman who was detained at a public meeting by Charlie Hallam in the presence of a State Police Officer, sued the town for his actions, and won not only a small sum of money but an apology from Charlie.

    OK Kip, ring your bell and write another one of your ever so witty comments for this one. Sorry, no double negatives today. I'm done writing my thoughts out loud for everyone to read.

    -- Posted by CdaleResident on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 12:46 PM
  • Holy Cow! Some one from the stands hit the ref with a glass of beer, there is a riot breaking out,,, OH NO, while the ref is changing his shirt, the offense and the defense are name dropping!

    That's gonna cost Cdaleresident AND GINGB each two points for blatant blog misuse while the ref wasn't looking.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 3:52 PM
  • Does anyone remember who the Chief was b4 Hallam? Does anyone know why the new Chief left Cloverdale, really why? Does anyone know where he went when he left Cloverdale? Does anyone know why the new Chief left his last position? The TC, no matter what 5 you deal with, never seem to do their homework. If they feel Hallam wasn't doing his job and have evidence behind that, why re-hire a Chief that had served previously? Has the TC done its homework on the new Chief? Is there a new business in town and are their connections between town employees and that new business? Seems like mixing personal business with town business may be questionable. R private meetings, w/out a majority of TC members present, legal? No! History speaks for itself: I believe there have been previous officers and other town employees who have gone through the same type of things with the TC. Hallam should be allowed to return as Chief. This question should be asked? Is the new chief the type of person you really want serving in law enforcement? The TC, no matter whether for or against the actions of the Chief of Police, should always have facts and evidence to stand on. They should always do their homework before hiring, demoting, or publicly discussing any town matter. AND NEVER IN A PRIVATE MEEETING. One thing 4sure, Hallam has a good record behind him, both in Cloverdale as well as military. He is a good man. Any law enforcement agency would benefit by having him. b4this thinks that we have lost the best chief we have had in many years. Why does Cloverdale always lose their best officers? I don't want law enforced by anyone who is in someone else's pocket? One comment was, Why did he stay after the lawsuit, he has a family to care for.

    -- Posted by B4this on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 5:01 PM
  • B4this

    I'm behind you and your right. Why a closed meeting?

    -- Posted by Rogger on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 5:07 PM
  • Why is gingb bashing Mrs.Puffer? I don't believe the article mentioned anything at all about her lawsuit. But since he brought it up, I would like to add a few comments myself. I have had the privilege of reading the legal(real stuff) documents surrounding her lawsuit. Trust me, she should not have settled for an empty apology and a mere $3000.00. I don't think that would even cover her legal fees. A sergeant from the Indiana State Police can attest to the fact that the door was indeed locked. I would advise gingb against making false statements.

    -- Posted by captain crunch on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 7:34 PM
  • It's "Linnie" and unlike you I don't make false statements.

    -- Posted by captain crunch on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 8:57 PM
  • "Why are you not offended as you, cdaleresident, Setty, Sinclair, and Davis/Whitaker have all filed lawsuits againist the town."

    OK, I'll bite on this one. What is the lawsuit that I have filed against the town of Cloverdale?

    -- Posted by CdaleResident on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 11:00 PM
  • from my vantage point as far as chiefs go lose-lose situation, the people that really, really lose are those who live in c'dale.

    next step, follow protocol and fire both; new and former chiefs and start anew, it's got to be an improvement!

    -- Posted by gottokno on Sun, Feb 10, 2008, at 11:54 PM
  • Why fire both chiefs if there are no documented grounds to fire Hallam. However, if someone would do their homework, that might night be the case with the new chief. RE-HIRING a law enforcement officer with a bad record is never a good idea in any department. The TC must realize that they WILL ALWAYS BE HELD RESPONSIBLE for thir actions and the actions of all town employees they hire, including the police dept. Hallam should be brought back as chief. Sorry if he might have hurt some feelings along the way, maybe because he did his job in spite of whose family was involved. If you disobey the law, then you should be punished for it. Special people should not be allowed to force a police officer to drop or ignore charges of anyone, just because of their authority. Hallam gives a feeling of security in the town, especially in his presence at our schools. He will never have trouble securing employment anywhere based on his "record" because his record is clean.

    -- Posted by B4this on Mon, Feb 11, 2008, at 10:43 AM
  • Hi Kip!

    -- Posted by mal on Mon, Feb 11, 2008, at 12:43 PM
  • Putnam County as a whole is corrupt and hypocritical. I lived there for just about 6 years and I've never met people anything like that. I thought when I moved there it was going to be this peaceful haven away from all the hustle and bustle of Indianapolis. I am back in the city now because of small town BS. Do yourselves a favor and just leave that small town alone. It'll just continue on and one, as it has for that last ummm.....at least 10 years that I know about.

    -- Posted by cmg071580 on Mon, Feb 11, 2008, at 1:40 PM
  • cmg071580, you're right. The city was a good choice,,, no corruption or hypocrisy there amongst all the murders and car crashes.

    -- Posted by strings on Mon, Feb 11, 2008, at 4:50 PM
  • Wow! So much for a good clean blog! That was wild. By the few comments about the actual story, it seems Hallam has strong support and equal amount of critics. We certainly can't live in Cloverdale and say we are surprised about another lawsuit against the town board. In time we will hear what the court has to say. I'm sure it would take a court order to keep his position, just can't see how he can win.

    I'm definitely going to duck when GINGB starts swinging--- I think there were 2 or 3 comments removed!! Corked bat or what?

    Actually the town has had worse Marshall problems in years past. Some of our finest citizens have gone to terrible extremes to express their dislike for the reigning authority. Nowdays, lawsuits to prove your point are much more "civilized".

    (mad-mom, pick me up at 8, wear those bowling shoes I like so well)

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Mon, Feb 11, 2008, at 7:16 PM
  • Can't wait Xgamer. I have you a new ball cap to sport around town.

    -- Posted by mad-mom on Mon, Feb 11, 2008, at 9:17 PM
  • I dont actually live in Indianapolis. I live in a small town southeast of there but its close. Murder and corruption are capable of being anywhere bad people live. It just seems to me that at some point they were all sent to Putnam County and they just stayed there and now this is what has come of it. I am just happy where I live, the only problems I have are the long walk to the bus stop with my children every morning. No more stress over unnecessary drama. You could probably make alot of money making a soap opera out of that county. Think about it.

    -- Posted by cmg071580 on Wed, Feb 13, 2008, at 3:12 PM
  • As a life long resident (who most gratefully is no longer living in Cloverdale) I have only one message for everyone who is involved in the Town Council, Police Department, and most of the residents of Cloverdale..... "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" . Hmm that should cover everyone. Please stop being important to yourselves and just apply common sense.

    -- Posted by mrp1948 on Fri, Feb 15, 2008, at 8:04 AM
  • As far as the lawsuit with the puffer case the eledged trooper is a desk jockey and a friend of puffers and as far as her being locked in the police dept anyone who has ever been in there knows the door doesnt lock from the inside duh. If you dont believe me check on it for yourself but better hurry i heard the council is putting in a new door and from what i heard it is not a door you want to put up for a police department. But then again they are slowly loosing their real police department. Soon they will have what they want a department they can control. Which is what they wanted in the first place lets face it thats why they are firing charlie and putting pearson back in do the math you dont have to be a brain surgeon to figure that one out. Cloverdale is a joke!!!!!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by transkaw on Wed, Feb 20, 2008, at 4:08 PM
  • Trankshaw, you Lie!!!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by captain crunch on Wed, Feb 20, 2008, at 9:30 PM
  • Linnie...calm down on your anger...do you need anger management classes or referral to a good doctor for better sedatives?

    -- Posted by ckenthefacts on Wed, Feb 20, 2008, at 10:23 PM
  • ckenthefacts I think you need to talk to an attorney about the terms Defamation and Libel (a lesson in Slander might also be handy). Just because people use psydoneums on here does not allow posters the latitude to make defaming or libelous remarks without punishment.

    When you state that someone needs "better sedatives" you are making a statement that the individual in question currently takes sedatives and requires some modification to the amount or type. Unless you have factual proof that the individual is currently taking sedatives you are making defaming, libelous comments about that individual. Rumors do not make factual truths. If you do have factual information I question by what method you acquired confidential medical records.

    Your intention may have originally been to create humor and/or discredit another individual's statements. These types of statements create harm and are often considered defaming and libelous.

    -- Posted by CdaleResident on Thu, Feb 21, 2008, at 1:42 AM
  • Well said Cdale Res.

    Anger management? Better sedatives?

    Noooooo I just have a problem when people make up stories.

    I do think the dectective with ISP might have an issue being labeled a "desk jockey."

    ckenthefacts, you might want to take a trip to the putnam county courthouse records department and checkthefacts for yourself, they are open for public viewing.

    Tell em Linnie sent ya!

    -- Posted by captain crunch on Thu, Feb 21, 2008, at 6:15 PM
  • GINGB....BINGO! to last post. Oh, as long as Detective Desk Jockey :) is getting coffee, I'll take mine with a little cream and sugar. Note to the 'D and L' show...if you are in the grocery store, stop by and pick up some cheese with that wine!

    -- Posted by ckenthefacts on Fri, Feb 22, 2008, at 5:35 AM
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