Both Sides React to Potential Bailey Settlement

Both Stacy Bailey's attorney and the City Attorney for Canton were pleased that a settlement was reached, but their agreements end there.

Pending approval from the Canton City Council on May 2, former Canton Police Department sergeant Stacy Bailey will receive $60,000 from the City of Canton to settle her lawsuit against the city for alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. If the council gives the final nod to authorize the settlement, Bailey will receive $30,000 in unpaid wages and $30,000 in damages. Stacy Bailey's Attorney Lance LoRusso said in a statement that his client was, "disappointed that she was not properly compensated for the many hours of overtime she worked, but she is glad that the defendants chose to resolve this lawsuit at this time." The statement also says that Bailey is saddened that the  City of Canton never insured itself against lawsuits …

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Canton Police Sergeant Appeals Termination

The lawyer of Stacy Bailey alleges documents were altered against his client and that she was never subject to a policy she was accused of violating.

Stacy Bailey Appeals Termination, Documents Altered?

The lawyer of the former Canton Police Department sergeant alleges documents were altered against his client and that she was never subject to a policy she was accused of violating.

The woman at the center of the "golf cart controversy" is appealing her recent termination by the Canton Police Department. The attorney for former Sgt. Stacy Bailey claims that extrinsic evidence and altered documents show that his client was not guilty of violating a financial policy she was allegedly never subject to in the first place. Bailey was terminated from her position in November for violating the City of Canton Financial Policy and allegedly concealing her affair with Sandy Springs Police Cpt. Scott Jamison in order to purchase a golf cart for Jamison's disabled son using Explorers program money. Bailey has appealed her termination on Dec. 17 by filing a notice to that effect with the City of Canton. In the notice, Bailey …

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"Things Have Really Changed Here"

The Canton Police Department has instituted sweeping changes in the wake of the Jorelys Rivera tragedy.

A year ago today, the body of Jorelys Rivera was found in a dumpster at her River Ridge apartment complex after she was abducted, sexually assaulted and stabbed by maintenance man Ryan Brunn three days prior. The handling of the case by the Canton Police Department was seen as an organizational failure, starting with the lax attitude of the department from the top down in their efforts to find the girl. "[I]t reflects poorly on the department that neither the Chief nor the assistant chief were immediately informed and that neither of them was on the scene post haste," wrote Councilman Bob Rush to Mayor Gene Hobgood and City Manager Scott Wood in a January e-mail. "The assumption that this was only a runaway was initially valid but no one …

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Canton's Harley-Riding Chief

Get a quick glimpse of the new chief of the Canton Police Department.

Robert Merchant is a Harley-riding former Marine who once protected U.S. presidents. After more than three decades in law enforcement, all of them with the Altamonte Springs, FL, Police Department, he announced last April that he was going to ride that Harley into retirement on Sept. 30 and spend more time with his wife, two adult daughters and grandson. That lasted a little more than seven months. Merchant, 56, was introduced on Monday as the new chief of the Canton Police Department. The fact that his retirement was so brief caught no one by surprise. In Altamonte Springs, officials wrote in a career retrospective that "it's a good bet that Chief Merchant's retirement will be short-lived as new doors open for this highly motivated and …

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FL Cop Named Canton's New Chief

Robert Merchant will begin the first week of June.

Nearly four months after former chief Jeff Lance was forced to resign in the wake of a scathing review of the Canton Police Department's work during the search for a murdered 7-year-old Canton girl, a permanent successor was named this morning. Saying that the police department's best days lie ahead, City Manager Scott Wood introduced Robert Merchant as Canton's new chief.  "We are pleased that Bob Merchant has aligned himself professionally with the city of Canton," Wood said. "Each of the employees who work for our city eagerly look foward to working with him, to learning from him and to contributing to what we all can individually and collectively to making our city the best it can be. Chief Merchant, welcome to Canton." Merchant, 56, …

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