Police Chief still absent after vacation ends

HIGH SPRINGS – High Springs Police Chief Steve Holley’s 30-day leave is over, but it is unclear whether he will return to the police department.

In January, Holley took 30 days off because he had accumulated the time by covering shifts for other officers, said City Manager Ed Booth. Sergeant Antoine Sheppard became the acting chief.

Booth denied rumors that Holley was stepping down or being ousted as the police chief, insisting that Holley was just taking vacation time.

Despite Holley’s 30 days having ended, Antoine Sheppard is still the acting chief of police.

City Manager Booth said he didn’t know whether Holley would come back. The only thing Booth said he knew was that Holley had his attorney contact the city attorney. He said he had no information on what the attorneys discussed.

“I got to make a decision, talk to the attorney, that hasn’t happened yet.”

Booth wouldn’t say what the decision he had to make was.

On Feb. 27, he indicated he didn’t know where Holley was, though his vacation time had ended by that date.

“I have no idea what happened to Holley,” he said.

Holley declined to comment.

Sheppard said he didn’t know if or when Holley was coming back.

Holley met with Booth the same week he requested time off to discuss reorganizing the police department. He declined to give any more information. Booth also declined to give information about the meeting or how the department might be reorganized.

In early February, Alachua County Today put in a public records request for email correspondence between Booth and Holley, but was unable to find any.

Florida’s Sunshine Law requires governmental meetings and records, including email correspondence, to be available upon request.

Booth said in an earlier interview he didn’t use email for that reason.

Holley took over after William Benck, the interim chief, resigned in January 2012. Holley was promoted to sergeant and then again to chief within a short time span, which could have been in violation of the city’s contract with the police union, the North Florida Police Benevolent Association, which establishes a process that has to be followed for promotions.

These procedures were not followed when Holley was promoted, said Jim Troiano, former High Springs police chief who helped negotiate the contract.

Multiple coworkers of Holley have filed complaints against him during his time as chief.

Angela Stone, who currently works for the Office of the City Clerk, was an administrative assistant for the police department in 2012. In August of that year, she filed a complaint against Holley, alleging a hostile work environment and attempts by Holley to intimidate her.

Former High Springs Police Department officer Adam Joy filed a complaint last year alleging favoritism. Holley gave Officer Ryan Scott, a personal friend, a key to the department and access to passwords, Joy wrote.

Scott submitted a letter of resignation to the city on Feb. 4.

In a Feb. 3 interview, Holley refused to confirm or deny rumors that he might come back to the police department as a sergeant, rather than as the chief.

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