Glynn County has fired its police chief 10 months after he was placed on leave under suspicion of criminal misconduct.
John Powell, the former Glynn County police chief, is awaiting trial after being indicted last year on perjury and witness tampering charges. He was notified of his formal termination in a letter last week, The Brunswick News reported.
Allowing the former chief “a continued open-ended leave of absence is unreasonably indefinite and places an undue hardship on Glynn County and its ability to properly and efficiently utilize taxpayer funds and manage its personnel system,” County Manager Alan Ours said in the letter.
Prosecutors allege Powell tried to help cover up an affair between a narcotics officer and a confidential informant, reports said.
Three other officers were also charged in the scandal, which led to the wider dismantling of Glynn County police’s drug task force.
Additionally, state lawmakers tried but failed to abolish the police department altogether and hand responsibility for law enforcement in parts of Glynn County outside Brunswick back to the elected county sheriff.
Information provided by The Associated Press was used to supplement this report.
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