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Police chief suspended after pointing his gun at fire chief
Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 2:50am Staff reports
Lebanon Public Safety Commissioner Billy Weeks is in hot water again; this time for pointing a gun at the fire chief’s chest, according to
WTVF reports.
Weeks is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the incident that happened Saturday night during Slammin’ and Jammin’, an annual low rider car show that for years has drawn the ire of local police.
Police keep a close eye on event-goers who line both sides of South Cumberland Street to watch the tricked-out rides cruise between the Public Square and Interstate 40, often setting up lookouts along the route.
In fact, it was at the mobile command post on Highway 231 where the incident occurred.
Fire Chief Chris Dowell and another city employee were sitting in a vehicle and Weeks was standing outside the vehicle. Officials said the two were horsing around and Weeks pulled his gun and put it to the chest of the fire chief.
The latest incident certainly draws more attention to a department that has seen its share of controversy in recent months. In late April, Lebanon City Councilman Kevin Huddleston demanded Weeks resign after a police officer mistakenly shot and killed a suspect. Instead, Weeks added the responsibilities of police chief to his duties as public safety commissioner and then-Police Chief Scott Bowen was shuffled to a grant writing position in City Hall.
In late 2000, when Weeks was police chief, detectives kicked in the door of the wrong house and fatally shot an innocent man. It was after that incident, that Weeks was promoted to public safety commissioner — a position that oversees both the city’s police and fire departments.
