Cleveland Police Chief Dennis MadduxDennis Maddux's brief stint as chief of the Cleveland Police Department is over for now.
Cleveland City Manager Janice Casteel announced Monday that she would be replacing Maddux as chief effective immediately, just one day after Maddux's first official day in that capacity.
"I intend to ask the City Council to form a committee consisting of myself, one or more of their members and a law enforcement consultant selected by the council to review the organizational structure and certain policies of the Cleveland Police Department moving forward," Casteel said.
Casteel also said in the release that she was appointing Capt. Mark Gibson to assist her with the day-to-day operations of the police department.
The decision to remove Maddux, who had been serving as acting chief since January, came after Maddux was involved in an altercation Saturday involving one of his officers, Jeff Griggs, who works in the Criminal Investigation Division, and Griggs' wife, Cindy.
In an affidavit of complaint against her husband filed in McMinn County, Cindy Griggs said that she was in a car with Maddux in Calhoun that day to discuss bruises from an assault by her husband that she hadn't reported. She said her husband subsequently arrived and began taking pictures of her and Maddux.
When she noticed her husband, she said she got out of the car and began walking toward Highway 163. She said her husband followed her in his truck, and at one point she climbed into the passenger side of the truck. She allegedly struggled with her husband for the camera, and took the memory card, at which point she said her husband bit her fingers to try to make her turn loose of the memory card.
After she freed herself from the vehicle, she ran to a nearby apartment, where a tenant said she gave Mrs. Griggs scissors that she used to destroy the memory card.
Jeff Griggs was booked Saturday night on one count of domestic assault and released on a $1,000 bond, according to officials at the McMinn County Jail.
His attorney, James F. Logan, Jr., said Monday that his client had filed for divorce that morning in Bradley County and will file a request for dismissal of the charges at his arraignment in McMinn County General Sessions Court today. Logan said "trust issues abound" in the case, and his client hopes for a speedy resolution.
"Mr. Griggs is troubled by this situation, and hopes this matter can be resolved to mitigate against adverse impact on the individuals involved as well as the community," Logan said.
Based on Casteel's release, the employment status of both officers remained unclear. She did not respond to an email asking whether the department will conduct an internal investigation or take other action regarding Maddux, Griggs or both.
Maddux's removal is the latest in a revolving door of chiefs at the Cleveland Police Department. Maddux replaced David Bishop, who went on medical leave in October. Bishop replaced longtime chief Wes Snyder, who abruptly retired in December 2013 after a video surfaced of him rendezvousing with a woman who wasn't his wife at a warehouse storage unit.
Contact Will Healey at whealey@timesfreepress.com, or 423-757-6731.