Former DeKalb police chief files discrimination charge

Former DeKalb County Police Chief Terrell Bolton on Tuesday filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination charge against his former employer.

He claims he was fired in February under false allegations that were taken because he’d been recently diagnosed with diabetes.

The filing also accuses DeKalb County leaders of harassment and unethical interrogation practices, and claims county staff disclosed his medical condition to the media without his authorization, attorney Joyce Glucksman said.

Ellis fired Bolton for insubordination and misuse of compensatory time in February. Bolton was in a Dallas hospital at the time.

Glucksman said when Bolton returned to his office at police headquarters on Feb. 9, DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis and chief operating officer Keith Barker “interrogated” the then-chief in a guarded basement room of the county jail while Bolton was suffering from the side effects of his condition.

“They proceeded to badger him for about five hours,” Glucksman said. “In the meantime, he didn’t have access to any of his blood-testing equipment. They took advantage of the fact that he had been diagnosed with diabetes.”

Ellis spokeswoman Sheila Edwards disputed Glucksman’s claims, saying it was a scheduled meeting held away from the CEO’s office to avoid media attention.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Edwards said. “He was the chief of police.

“At no time was he detained. At some point he indicated he needed to go home to get additional medication, and the meeting stopped.”

The claim comes a day before Bolton is scheduled to have his merit hearing to contest his firing.