Michelle HortonA former Graysville, Tenn., employee says city officials fired her for tattling on their chief, who allegedly broke the law.
In August 2013, City Recorder Michelle Horton told District Attorney Mike Taylor that Police Chief Erik Redden illegally seized $4,000 from a citizen during a drug-related arrest. She said he denied taking the money, blamed his detective, borrowed another $4,000 from a friend, gave it to city officials and lied to them about where he got it.
Taylor turned the information over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. In June, a Rhea County grand jury indicted Redden on 10 counts of official misconduct.
But before that could happen, on May 13, the Graysville City Commission fired Horton. Now Horton has sued Graysville, asking a U.S. District Court judge to make city officials put her back to work and pay her for the time she has been unemployed.
Horton’s attorney, Donna Mikel, filed the lawsuit Aug. 14. She said City Commissioners Andy Beene and Michael May and Vice Mayor Denesa Reel violated Tennessee’s whistle-blower statute when they voted to terminate Horton.