The Starkville Board of Aldermen on Tuesday approved a disciplinary action against Starkville Police Department Master Sgt. Shawn Word after a closed-door meeting with police officials.
Neither the board, nor Interim SPD Chief John Outlaw gave any reason for decision or divulged the type of disciplinary action Word faces. The motion, as read aloud by City Clerk Taylor Adams, stated Outlaw recommended the action to aldermen.
The board also approved a second Outlaw-backed request releasing SPD Chief David Lindley’s service revolver and uniform to the retiring department head. His last official day is Dec. 31, but the chief will not return to duty, instead using the leave he has accumulated that will continue until his retirement date.
Lindley submitted his letter of resignation in late November after he was previously placed on administrative leave by the board and barred from communicating with his subordinates on Nov. 22. It is believed an internal SPD investigation was authorized by the board at that time, but the mayor, aldermen and city attorney would not comment on personnel matters.
Lindley previously told The Dispatch a situation arose after his wife, Mississippi State University Police Chief Georgia Lindley, accidentally struck a car near a church before a home football game on Nov. 16. Georgia Lindley was not aware that she dinged the car and left the scene, he said. Both cooperated in SPD’s investigation.
Documents and photos obtained by The Dispatch through a Freedom of Information Act request show Georgia Lindley was involved in a slight wreck on Nov. 16 in front of the church near the intersection of Lampkin and Megis streets. Word is listed as the investigating officer on the uniform crash report.
According to the report’s narrative, Georgia Lindley was driving a black Jeep Laredo west on Lampkin Street before the Alabama-MSU football game when she sideswiped a parked Cadillac CTS sedan belonging to a Starkville resident and continued home, the report states. David Lindley provided his wife’s insurance and other information to police.
Two witnesses, both of whom are Ackerman residents, observed the wreck, the report states. One of the witnesses who trailed the Jeep stated the vehicle drifted in and out of its lane.
No alcohol or drug tests were administered following the accident, the report states. A cell phone was not in use during the accident. Georgia Lindley’s estimated speed was 5 mph below the speed limit. The report shows a circle indicating “hit and run” is clearly marked.
Photos of the two vehicles show the Cadillac received light scraping near its back left fender, while Georgia Lindley’s Jeep was barely damaged in the collision.
David Lindley’s departure represented the third significant personnel move the city has faced since aldermen took over July 1. Since he tendered his resignation, another department head, Community Developer William Snowden, also abruptly resigned from his post.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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