Belle town council members Monday night named a new police chief and demoted to patrolman the man who has held the job for the past 10 years, but is now the subject of a federal investigation.
Robert Glenn was named police chief of Belle at a town meeting Monday, said Belle Mayor Glen "Buck" Chestnut. During the meeting, council members also demoted Darrick Cox to a patrolman. He had served as the police chief in the eastern Kanawha County town for about 10 years.
Cox will remain on paid administrative leave, however, the mayor said late Monday.
Upon learning Cox was the subject of an investigation last month, the mayor placed him on a 30-day period of paid administrative leave. That 30 day period ended Jan. 11, but the mayor said Monday night he waited a while before deciding what to do.
"I thought I would've heard from the investigation people, so for a period of time I was waiting on the results of the investigation," Chestnut said, adding he hasn't heard from federal investigators since the beginning of December.
"They are still doing an investigation, as far as I know," Chestnut said. "I hope we find out something really soon."
Although his title now is patrolman, Cox's salary wasn't changed, the mayor said.
Glenn, who has been a police officer in Belle for, the mayor guessed, about five years, is likely to remain chief even if Cox is cleared by federal investigators, according to Chestnut. Glenn's appointment was unanimous by council members, Chestnut said.
"Unless something happens. I don't foresee anything changing," the mayor said.
Both Cox and Chestnut learned of the federal investigation on Dec. 11 from a Gazette-Mail reporter. Both men said they didn't know why Cox would be under investigation. In the days after learning about the investigation, the mayor previously said Cox recommended that the mayor place him on administrative leave or fire him.
According to the mayor, Cox said at the time, the town didn't need to be associated with his problems.
Cox couldn't be reached Monday night for comment. The mayor said the last time he talked to Cox was on Jan. 11. Cox didn't argue with being demoted to patrolman, according to the mayor.
"When I talked to him he was very quiet. He didn't have a lot to say," Chestnut said.
Earlier this month, an assistant U.S. attorney from Kentucky's Eastern District was appointed to work as a special prosecutor in West Virginia's Southern District to assist with "the investigation and potential prosecution" of Cox, according to court documents. Cox's brother, Darryl Cox, works as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Charleston.
A four-page appointment affidavit filled out by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth R. Taylor, of Kentucky's Eastern District, included Cox's name on the last page and was filed publicly Dec. 8 in Charleston. By evening on Dec. 9, the last page of the filing had been removed from public view without explanation. The document didn't include any information about what the investigation concerns, and spokesmen for Taylor's office in Kentucky and prosecutors in Charleston would not comment about the filing or Cox.
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