Newton only acknowledged using foul language one time in private with Bryant, after he said the councilman called him boy. If you know anything about the history of the South and race relations, to have some 75-year-old man calling a 40-year-old Black man a boy is very insulting, Newton said. Citations. When Wayman Newton found out last week about the warrant for his arrest in the town that elected him its first Black mayor, he wasnt surprised. Newton was also acquitted on a harassment charge obtained by city council member Tommy Bryant who signed the misdemeanor warrant against him claiming the mayor made, in part, sexually explicit comments about the councilmans wife. The full press conference can be watched in the video player above. A veteran lawman has been chosen as the first Black police chief in Tarrant. SOLD FEB 16, 2023. 1133 East Lake Blvd | Tarrant, AL 35217 | 205-849-2800. a municode design. All rights reserved (About Us). Newton only acknowledged using foul language one time in private with Bryant, after he said the councilman called him boy. If you know anything about the history of the South and race relations, to have some 75-year-old man calling a 40-year-old Black man a boy is very insulting, Newton said. Bryant wondered why Newton wasnt putting himself on leave given the fact that he fired Rickels for his charge. Asked why he went all the way to the Bessemer Cutoff to surrender, Newton said, It was evident that this is a political stunt, and it was made known to me that the media was at the Birmingham location.. Reno said he goes to physical therapy twice a week because of the injury and may have to undergo surgery. Tarrant Mayor Wayman Newton. Reno left the chiefs job shortly after and officially retired Jan. 1, 2021, after 42 years in law enforcement. Milwaukee Police Department. Job Opportunities Currently hiring APOST Certified Officers at jobsquest.org Click any thumbnail image to view a slideshow Police Contact Information The blast struck Marshal Granger in the abdomen, killing him. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. . Reno retired after the incident because he said he knew he wouldnt be able to work with the new mayor. Cold Cases, Missing and Unsolved Crimes. Contact the City; Licenses; I Want To. Lt. Phillip George of the Tarrant Police Department declined to comment about any alleged policy of not hiring Black officers, as well as the alleged targeting of Black drivers. My grandmother always used to say, The more things change, the more they stay the same, and unfortunately were starting to see the ugly head of the old Tarrant reared itself., Newton said there were no black officers on the force when he took office. Newton late Thursday night posted a series of videos on Facebook, including the one of the alleged assault and others that showed Reno carrying out various activities using his injured arm. The visits at Tarrant City Jail take place on Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm. During the meeting, Newton said, he confronted Renowho was still chief at the timeover what the mayor claimed was a longstanding practice of not hiring Black police officers in the city. I hope it dont offend you. Ft Worth Tarrant County Texas Arrests, Warrants & Most Wanted. Mayor Newton is trying hard for the citizens of Tarrant, she said. Tom Green County District Attorney's Office. Brian Steel, Rickels attorney, told AL.com the charges were baseless. Deanna Taylor is one of those people. . Newman released video footage of the alleged assault. The mayor said he will address the warrant at a press conference at 10 a.m. Thursday. we post and write thousands of news stories a year, most wanted stories, editorials (under categories - blog) and stories of exonerations. He does not plan to resign as mayor even though he fired the former fire chief after he was arrested on an assault charge because he said his own charge is a misdemeanor, and the charge against the former fire chief involved felony charges and a firearm. I know how things are supposed to be done, he said. Newton denied any wrongdoing and released a video that he says proves he didnt assault the ex-chief. Taylor, who does not buy the assault charge, said her boyfriend is Black, and that for many in the Black community, it has been an open secret that the Tarrant Police Department had no Black police officers and would routinely pull over Black drivers and find excuses to search their cars. Newton, the citys first Black mayor who has often been at odds with the council, was arrested on the charges in 2021 and maintained his innocence in both cases. Im glad that we can finally put that behind me.. In response to the alleged instance of misconduct that Bryant described, in which he said Newton challenged him to a fight, Newton said, Im a 40-year-old Black man with an Ivy League degree and I graduated from a top-10 law school. Sign up now! Freddie Rubio, the city attorney of Tarrant, declined to comment on any formal complaints of harassment against Mayor Newton, and did not respond to a subsequent request for comment about whether procedures had been followed in firing employees. For his part, Newton said most of the criticism by Bryant, Horton, and others who have opposed him is due to the fact that the city used to be run in a way that gave them more decision-making power than he believes they should haveand led to a cycle of stagnation. by The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. It is like he thinks hes God and he rules this city, she said. All contents copyright 2021 Associated Press. Then I realized that Im here for a reason, and that reason is that I represent all the people that wanted to change the city, but they werent able to change the city,' he said. George also shared department data with The Daily Beast that showed how, in 2019, Black drivers represented about 58 percent of those stopped by police, and about 55 percent of stopped drivers in 2020. "All of us at SPD are extremely proud of Chief Perry Tarrant. He even claimed that he wore a bulletproof vest to council meetings a few times because he feared for his safety. Newton said the discord has continued. TARRANT, Ala. (WIAT) Wayman Newton, the mayor of Tarrant, was charged with misdemeanor assault Wednesday. My council has put together a smear campaign saying that Ive been stealing money from the city so in the coming weeks were going to conduct an audit and when those results come back, Ill be able to clear my name on that as well.. I didnt cuss him back. So, the guy didnt know what he was talking about.. Lets get to the bottom of it and see who is lying.. Whos the racist here? That is all that was said. Newton said he helped solidify an internal affairs office to keep track of any alleged police misconduct. Tarrant, AL 35217. Bryant said he isnt opposed to changes in the city, but believes Newton is going about things in an aggressive way. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The white 25-year-old said she supports Newton because he has made an attempt to bring needed youth activities to the city, and has helped the police department make great strides. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Bryant pushed back against any problems with race that the city and police department may have faced in the past. Westlake. Wendell Major has been selected, and approved by the City Council, to take over as the departments top cop. If you actually go and talk to most people that actually live here in the city, they actually like the things that Im doing.. Unfortunately, if you look at the city, and if you look at the people who are actually engaged in our politics, the people who make it a point to come and volunteer for our Farmers Market, people who make it a point to volunteer for other.at our rec center, they dont support those individuals. Tarrant Police Chief Wendell Major confirms Bryant was arrested Thursday morning on a theft of services charge. Newton held a press conference at Tarrant City Hall on Thursday to discuss the case. Two different standards for two different people, he said. The chief accused Newton, an attorney, of slamming a door on Reno. Reno said he hired black officers during his time at Tarrant and said those officers had left the department to go to bigger cities and make more money. Were going to continue to rebuild the city. We have people kicking against change and we need change,' she said. Tarrant's arrest. He was charged with third-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor. And thats what Ive been doing, he said. I dont mind changes, if theyre done like theyre supposed to be done. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Laura Horton, 73, who served on the city council for 20 years before losing her re-election bid in 2020, echoed Bryants assessment of Newton. The Black 41-year-old claimed the mayor has also made other positive changes in the city, such as starting a farmers market, providing greater access to the community center, and feeding the poorest city residents. Robin Davis, spokeswoman for. Jason Rickles was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree criminal damage to property and possession of a deadly weapon after an incident in Roswell, Ga. on March 12. He never gave me a chance, he told AL.com of the mayor, adding that he had told Newton, I dont hire off race, I hire off qualifications.. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. North Texas Interoperable Radio Network (NTIRN) Project 25 Phase II. We would have friends and family that wouldnt come to Tarrant because they were known for it, Taylor said. At a later press conference, Newton said Reno was unwilling to stop the discriminatory practice of not hiring African American officers, which under my administration is unacceptable., There was a verbal disagreement about this between myself and Mr. Reno in my office on November 3, 2020, in which Mr. Reno is alleging that I slammed his arm in a door, Newton said. Major has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years, beginning his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections. Newton, who has called a 10 a.m. press conference at Tarrant City Hall, on Thursday released this statement: The former Police Chief of Tarrant, Dennis Reno, was unwilling to stop the discriminatory practice of not hiring African American officers, which under my administration is unacceptable., There was a verbal disagreement about this between myself and Mr. Reno in my office on November 3, 2020 in which Mr. Reno is alleging that I slammed his arm in a door. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Fort Worth Assistant Police Chief Robert Alldredge told city council members there were . We strive to maintain our citizens' trust and confidence in their Police Department by maintaining a high degree of integrity and professionalism among all Police employees. At a certain point, I had to remind him that I was the mayor and kicked him out of my office, he told The Daily Beast. The Seattle Police Department is honored to announce that Assistant Chief Perry Tarrant was sworn in as the next president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). We have lived in the past, he said. The chief accused Newton, an attorney, of slamming a door on Reno, causing an injury to Renos shoulder. Newton was arrested on June 16 and charged with third-degree assault, according to records from the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, which declined to elaborate on the charges prior to publication. Tarrant Mayor Wayman Newton has been found not guilty on charges of misdemeanor assault on the former police chief. Pembroke Pines Police Department. 4 were here. ", Newton said he believes its a small number of former employees and former residents stirring up the controversy. He can look and see what it could be without the historical hindsight of what it was, he said. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. He said the accusations about the supposed threats on Bryants life were not worth responding to. Major is a graduate of Fairfield High School and served as a U.S. Marine. And as I stated before, there is a video of this incident, which will be released to the authorities. According to AL.com, Rickels, who is white, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a gun after he allegedly pulled a gun on a Black realtor and photographer at a home he owned in Roswell, Georgia.
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