BAILEY, N.C. (WNCN) — The Town of Bailey Board of Commissioners held a special meeting with the Town Attorney Monday night to discuss personnel matters regarding its police officers on administrative leave.
Bailey Police Chief Cathy Callahan and Officer Evan Sokolove are on administrative leave while the town attorney conducts an internal investigation, leaving the small town without most of its full-time police force.
The board went into a closed session immediately to discuss personnel matters and because of attorney-client privilege. The board did not take any action following the roughly 30-minute closed session.
Sokolove said he expressed concerns about Callahan’s behavior to Town Manager Joel Killion. He said Ryan King, the town attorney, told him a little more than a week ago that he was placed on administrative leave because Callahan filed a rebuttal complaint.
Sokolove said he feels he’s being retaliated against.
“100%, and for coming forward, that’s exactly what this is and that’s exactly what we intend to pursue in a court of law,” Sokolove said.
Both Callahan and Killion told CBS 17 that they have no comment.
Sokolove’s attorney, Jack Nickels, said they withdrew their settlement offer Monday over concerns Sokolove would lose his certification from the Criminal Justice Training and Standards Commission if he resigns while under investigation. They are considering filing a lawsuit.
The town attorney did not comment on the investigation or provide a timeline on when the investigation might be complete.
Bailey resident Carolyn Alston wants the findings of the investigation to become public once it’s concluded.
“We need to know, we need to know what exactly is going on in our little small town,” Alston said.
Major Eddie Moore with the Nash County Sheriff’s Office said deputies will continue to cover Bailey through the end of the month. He said generally they have someone there for an eight-hour shift, but the time of the shift varies depending on when Bailey has its own part-time officers working.
