After Mansfield Police Chief Ron Sellon was deemed ‘unfit to serve’ by the city, the police chief said the decision came in ‘retaliation’ from the city manager as part of a a “smear campaign”.
As we previously reported, the City of Mansfield determined the chief unfit to serve after a private investigation uncovered instances of ‘inappropriate behavior in the workplace’, including fits of rage. , angry and threatening text messages, abusive and disrespectful behavior and damage to police department property.
The city’s private investigation also uncovered Nest doorbell video that captured Sellon in an outburst of profanity about city leaders outside his home after last May’s mayoral election. In the video, you hear banging noises and a tirade aimed at the residents, the general manager and the chairman of the board.
In response to the city’s findings, Sellon called the investigation “flawed” and “a sham.”
The chef sat down for an exclusive interview with NBC10 Boston investigators in July after Sellon had mysteriously been out of work for nearly a year. He described an early morning phone conversation on Nov. 16, 2019, when City Manager Kevin Dumas called Sellon from jail after he was arrested for a drunk driving incident in Provincetown.
“He said, ‘Chief, I need help,'” Sellon said. “I say, ‘Who’s in the room with you right now?’ It goes ‘The officers are.’ And I felt this awful feeling in my stomach.”
City leaders say a private investigation is complete and the police chief is unfit to lead the department. NBC10 Boston investigator Ryan Kath has revealed new video evidence of chief misconduct and explains what city leaders plan to do next.
Sellon said he asked Dumas to pass the cellphone to a booking agent, to whom he told the agent on the phone that he “had nothing to do with it” and would help find a lawyer for the city manager. He also said the city manager had “pressed” him to lead Dumas to his arraignment.
Sellon drove him to the arraignment, but says he took a vacation day and his personal vehicle.
“Since that incident, I have been targeted by the City Manager in retaliation for not helping him make his YES disappear. He harassed and slandered me. I feared he would cost me my work,” Sellon wrote in a statement.
City Manager Kevin Dumas responded to the allegations in an email Monday, saying, in part, “Chief Sellon’s false accusations are clearly an attempt to distract from the investigation into his gross misconduct.”
Dumas said that shortly after his arrest he called Sellon for a lawyer recommendation. Call logs obtained by NBC10 Boston confirm that this call took place at 6:36 a.m. for six minutes on the morning the city manager was arrested.
There were two other phone calls between the city manager and the police chief on the day of the arrest, both lasting approximately 10 minutes.
“I did nothing more than ask a colleague and friend for a reference and a spin,” Dumas wrote. “To be clear, I never asked Chief Sellon to ‘intervene’ in my arrest or in the legal proceedings.”
The City of Mansfield released a Nest video of a neighbor capturing an outburst from Police Chief Ron Sellon on May 10, 2022.
He said that to suggest there was a link between YES’s arrest and this investigation is “ridiculous”.
Sellon said he asked the city for “a thorough and unbiased assessment of the management of the police department,” but said officials denied the request and placed him on administrative leave.
As NBC10 Boston investigators previously reported in April, the city quietly placed Sellon on paid administrative leave nearly a year ago, meaning taxpayers paid a rate of $388,000 for two salaries. of chief of police.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22269046-db-82622-mm-3-redacted-combined
According to the documents, private investigators had come to their own conclusions in early May. They supported a number of allegations against the police chief. Those included:
- Blasphemous explosions
- Angry and threatening messages to subordinates
- Abusive and disrespectful behavior
- Damaging his cell phone after throwing it in his office
The city says it will now start “dealing” with Sellon’s employment status. Even after the inquest’s findings, the chief still says he hopes to return to his role and lead the Mansfield Police Department.
“This is what the City of Mansfield deserves,” he wrote.