Special investigator appointed in West Memphis PD harassment case

Former Turrell Police Chief appointed to probe allegations against Allen, Burch

By JOHN RECH

news@theeveningtimes.com

When West Memphis City Council unleashed up to $20,000 to hire an investigator experienced in cases involving probing police, they probably never would have imagined retaining one that had been investigated for aggravated assault on the job. But, that was exactly who the city landed on to sort out allegations against Major Stacy Allen and Lt. Charles Burch. The pair face accusations lodged with the city’s Human Resources Department of intimidation, retaliation and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Mayor Marco McClendon appointed former Turrell Police Chief Greg Martin to look into the accusations after two-and-one-half months of paying the suspended officers to sit out work. Eleven years ago, Greg Martin was the subject of media reports from around the Mid-South for facing an arrest warrant for his actions as the Turrell police chief. A West Memphian, Martin, known locally personally among police leadership, made a career serving in tiny town police departments in the tri-county area. A critic of Martin’s appointment expressed fear of cronyism in an email copied to The Evening Times and addressed to Mayor Marco McClendon and Chief West. Martin’s last station was in Madison, near Forrest City.

In 2009, prosecuting attorney Mike Walden said an aggravated assault warrant was issued against the then-Turrell Police Chief Greg Martin. Turrell city council member, the late Floyd Holmes, and his wife Reena along with two witnesses

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Despite being suspended for allegations including intimidation, West Memphis Police Major Stacy Allen visited former WMPD Detective Steven Fleming outside Fleming’s Angelo’s Grove apartment on Tuesday, November 24. The visit came the same day Fleming’s negative remarks about the work atmosphere at the WMPD served as his impetus to join the Marion Police Department appeared in print in The Evening Times. Allen’s visit also came on the eve of a special investigator being appointed to look into allegations lodged against him with the city’s Human Resources Department.

Photo by John Rech CASE

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working in their home stated Martin pulled a gun on them when he went to their home following up on the mayor reporting a disturbance at City Hall. Holmes and another city councilman went to city hall to ask for overdue paychecks. The Holmeses claimed the chief threatened them in front of the two others in the house with some video and audio captured on a cell phone.

Turrell city council had not allocated budget funds for the police and Martin had been subsequently dismissed. Martin’s police career survived pulling a gun on the couple and he continued working at a string of small towns in the Crittenden, Lee, and St. Francis counties.

Last week, Martin was retained by the West Memphis city administration to investigate the allegations of a handful of employees against suspended police of_cers Major Stacy Allen and Lt. Charles Burch.

Similar to the Turrell case, the West Memphis investigation included audio recordings. One recording featured Allen and Burch bemoaning the allegations with Allen denouncing three separate female police of_cers. Martin’s appointment as special investigator came Thanksgiving week, ending a two-and-one-half month search for an outside investigator.

Despite his suspension, Allen visited former West Memphis Police Detective Steven Fleming on the same day Fleming’s comments about the department’s toxic work environment appeared in print edition of The Evening Times on Tuesday, Nov. 24.