HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - Huntington Mayor Steve Williams won't face charges over a payout issued to a former police chief, a special prosecutor said Thursday.
Special prosecutor Craig Tatterson told The Herald-Dispatch that he does not plan to pursue the case further after the Cabell County grand jury declined to bring charges against Williams.
The legality of the 2015 payout to former police chief Skip Holbrook by Williams was investigated by the West Virginia State Police at the request of the Cabell County prosecutor's office.
Prosecutor Sean Hammers requested that his office be recused from the case, and Tatterson was named special prosecutor.
Former city councilman Scott Caserta had complained to Hammers that a $35,000 payout to Holbrook was for unused sick leave and in violation of a city ordinance. The payout was issued after Holbrook resigned in 2014.
Under the city's personnel guidelines, an employee receiving such a payout must have either worked for the city for more than 20 years, retired at age 60 or retired on disability. Holbrook, 50, served as police chief for nearly seven years.
Caserta alleged that Williams' authorization of the payout demonstrated malfeasance in office.
Williams did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment Thursday.
The mayor had previously denied wrongdoing, saying he had the legal authority to issue the payout.
City Council's finance committee investigated the payout and concluded that Williams did not do anything wrong.
Caserta was chairman of the council when he submitted documents to the prosecutor's office last May. The council voted 8-1 to remove Caserta as chairman during a special meeting that month. Other council members accused Caserta of not following proper investigative procedure and overstepping his authority.
The newspaper had reported documents it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request showed 50 employees had separation payout forms generated between Jan. 1, 2013, when Williams took office, and mid-June of last year.
Seven firefighters' eligibility couldn't be determined because of insufficient data. Of the remaining employees, Holbrook was the only one who received a payout for accrued sick leave who did not meet one of the three requirements.