Bethel’s former police chief has filed a complaint in federal court against the village and its mayor alleging a smear campaign against him that forced his resignation in March.
Bethel Police Chief can return to work after being placed on leave, independent audit of department wcpo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wcpo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Cincinnati.com will update this story.
The day before a Black Lives Matter rally in Clermont County s village of Bethel turned into a national spectacle last June, police officers received reports that counterprotesters were planning to disrupt the event, possibly with violence.
One report warned that motorcycle gangs, including the Hells Angels, planned to attend the rally in hopes of breaking it up. Another said people opposed to Black Lives Matter were being urged to shower the protesters with a good old ass kicking.
Despite the reports of potential violence, which were revealed in an independent audit submitted to village officials this month, Bethel police were significantly outnumbered and outgunned when armed counterprotesters swarmed into Bethel on June 14 and June 15, the audit found.