Submitted by Carbondale Times on
Geoffrey Ritter
Carbondale Times
CARBONDALE — Former Carbondale Police chief Jody O’Guinn says he has no idea why he was fired this week, although he is certain it had to do with a string of recent controversial death cases that have shaken the Police Department, despite the city manager’s statements to the contrary.
Speaking exclusively to the Times on Tuesday, O’Guinn said he had absolutely no indication he was about to be fired as he reported to the city staff meeting Monday morning.
Once at City Hall, O’Guinn was summoned to City Manager Kevin Baity’s office, where he said he was given a pre-typed resignation letter, which he refused to sign. Then, he was fired and told to turn over his badge and other city-owned property, including his work phone.
“I told Kevin I had done nothing wrong,” O’Guinn said. “I was told the city needs to move in a different direction.”
In announcing O’Guinn’s firing later in the morning, Baity was unquestionably vague, saying only that O’Guinn’s dismissal and Deputy Chief Jeff Grubb’s elevation to interim chief were the results of a confidential matter.
“I want to stress that my decision to dismiss Chief O’Guinn is a confidential matter and has nothing to do with the unsolved cases or recent litigation filed against the City and the Chief,” Baity said in his brief statement. “Any assumptions/allegations to this effect are completely unfounded.”
O’Guinn says he doesn’t know what “confidential matter” Baity was referring to in the press release and that he was given no further explanation at the moment he was let go.
“I really don’t know why this occurred,” O’Guinn said. “I have no idea what [confidential matter] means.”