Just Wondering

Here's an item that came out in the newspapers this past week that to me just raises more questions. I've commented in the past that there is a lot of information pertaining to this matter that hasn't been made public. Consequently it is frustratingly difficult to figure out what is exactly going on and why. Personally I think it originated with the botched Craig Robert's murder investigation and has just gotten worse since then.

Suspended Wellsville police officer Ed Wilson has filed a slander law suit in County Common Pleas court against Mayor Joe Surace and the Village. Wilson was put on paid suspension right after the Yost murder this past June. According to the papers Wilson had already gone home when the police learned of that murder in the early morning hours. Since then Village Council and the mayor hired a Cleveland law firm to investigate the police department. In commenting to reporters from Channel 9 Joe was quoted as saying Wilson was suspended for "not going to the scene when ordered to". I believe Joe was talking about the Yost murder scene when Channel 9 was looking into the independent investigation. Now Wilson alleges he was "exposed to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, shame or disgrace that has adversely affected him..." to quote the article in The Review. According to the MJ's Tom Giambroni the "alleged slander occurred because Surace made these comments without "ascertaining the truth or veracity of the statements" and as a result "Wilson has been slandered and harmed emotionally and financially by the impact on his personal and professional reputation".

Both papers stated that Wilson left the morning of the Yost murder some three to three and half hours early and called it a night. They also indicated that Wilson was called and refused to come back to work. If I remember correctly someone commented on an earlier ORL post that they had seen the police log for that night and Ed was not called. Earlier accounts stated that the dispatcher called the vacationing Chief instead. Was Wilson called that night? Did he actually go home that early, a little less than half the scheduled shift? Did he get paid for those three or so hours? Is it common practice with WPD to allow that kind of dereliction of duty? If he did indeed go home that early it is a whole lot different that leaving ten or fifteen minutes early. Was he called or not?

This whole thing is becoming a campaign issue. Dave Lloyd commented on the Wellsville Forum yesterday that the investigation is just the Mayor's way of looking for someone to blame for all the trouble with our police force. The Mayor keeps telling us he is still waiting to hear from the Cleveland lawyers on their findings. And it goes on and on leaving one wondering...

I'm wondering if the filing of this slander law suit is a preemptive move on Wilson's part? Did he pick up on something in the investigation and is trying to sway possible actions before they take place? How has he been hurt financially when he's still being paid? Is he just playing dirty politics? Why didn't he and/or his lawyers include WTOV in the suit? Just so many questions and we are not getting any answers.

This frivolous law suit has made it a campaign issue and Dave Lloyd has stated that the WPD is one of the goals on his list to things to do. Surace needs to get this investigation completed and get any corrective actions started before the election. Joe could very well lose the election just on this issue alone. We people of the ville need a police force that is not distracted with all these rumors and innuendos. We also need some answers to just what our tax dollars are being spent for.

ole nib