SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. - South Pittsburg city leaders have opted to settle a lawsuit filed against the town by former police Sgt. Paul West.
In November 2013, West arrested City Administrator Sammy Burrows after he was pulled over by another officer for driving 72 mph in a 35 mph zone.
Burrows and the officers got into a shouting match that ended in a struggle to put handcuffs on Burrows, according to police reports.
Burrows admitted to speeding, but he said afterward he had put himself in "a bad position" and his arrest was due to "a little bit of an internal power struggle."
"I have learned people will do what their power will let them, and there's nothing you can do about that," he said.
A week later, the South Pittsburg City Commission voted unanimously to terminate West and voted 4-1 to award Burrows a five-year contract with a salary of $48,000 per year, even though the city's charter governs that position.
West works now as a police officer in nearby Whitwell, Tenn., and serves as a city alderman in Jasper, Tenn.
He filed a civil lawsuit against South Pittsburg last year, and was unavailable for comment about the proposed settlement.
The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but Mayor Jane Dawkins said that after some lengthy mediation, South Pittsburg's insurer would pay the money.
She said the town would not make any "financial contribution" to the settlement, except to pay the applicable deductible on the insurance policy.
"One thousand dollars is what it's going to cost the city," Dawkins said.
City officials maintain the town has "no liability" to West, but they believe South Pittsburg's insurer has the right under the policy to settle the lawsuit "if no city funds are contributed to the settlement."
Commissioner Ronnie Lancaster, who made the motion to fire West in 2013, also made the motion to approve the settlement.
The board voted unanimously to do so this week.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.