The Woodward police chief has resigned following the arrest of the city’s volunteer fire chief and a disagreement with the city’s mayor.
Jim Graham offered his resignation to Mayor Todd Folkerts, who accepted the resignation, on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Graham’s resignation comes after the arrest of Matt Cavanaugh, the chief of the city’s volunteer fire department, for 10 counts of tampering with records. He was arrested and booked into the Dallas County Jail around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, and released just after midnight Wednesday.
Multiple witnesses, identified as members of the volunteer fire department in a criminal complaint filed on Friday, Feb. 13 said Cavanaugh allegedly added his name to 14 calls he did not attend. Graham previously told the Register that volunteers with the fire department make $10 per call.
“This is public money. … It’s a big deal to us that public funds were being diverted this way,” Graham previously said.
Cavanaugh was scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 24, but waived his preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty, according to court filings.
Neither the Woodward Volunteer Fire Department nor Graham responded to the Register’s requests for comment.
Graham said in a statement to KCCI that he resigned because of an “impassable disagreement.”
“As the Woodward Police Chief, we have been investigating behavior for several months regarding the conduct of the Woodward Fire Chief. After completing the case and charging the individual, Mayor Folker(t)s expressed concern over how the arrest was conducted,” Graham said in the statement. “For me, it is simple. After seeing what has happened around Iowa in places like Mitchellville, Baxter and other communities, I stand firmly on my decision to be overly transparent about this case and commitment to do the right thing even if it isn’t the popular thing.”
“I believe citizens in communities across Iowa are tired of having their trust betrayed by those they should trust the most,” Graham said. “Mayor Folkerts and I discussed the case and how I handled it and came to a point of impassable disagreement. I offered my resignation to the mayor and he accepted, it is that simple.”
Folkerts declined to comment on the matter, but told the Register that the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and the Boone County Sheriff’s Office “are covering our calls as we work through this.” It’s unclear the status of the fire chief’s employment.
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Central Iowa police chief resigns over fire chief arrest
Reporting by Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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