WALNUT RIDGE -- Police Chief Richey Thatcher resigned Tuesday morning after discussing the Police Department's budget and the direction the department should go with newly elected Mayor Charles Snapp, the mayor said.
Thatcher, who led the eight-member department in the Lawrence County town for three years, turned in his resignation and quit immediately, Snapp said. An employee at the Walnut Ridge Police Department said Thatcher left the office by noon. She said she would not comment further.
"I was meeting with the department heads and called him in," Snapp said of Thatcher. "I told all the heads that they could stay under my administration. I called them all in to talk about their concerns."
Snapp said his meeting with Thatcher became heated.
"Short of me asking for his termination, he resigned," Snapp said of the police chief.
Thatcher was not located for comment Tuesday.
Snapp appointed Glendal Floyd, a retired former Arkansas State Police and Arkansas Highway Police officer, as the interim chief of the city of 4,766. Floyd said he would not apply for the permanent position.
Snapp appointed Floyd to the city's Police Commission earlier this month.
"He has 33 years of police experience," Snapp said of Floyd. "He will be able to help us oversee the transition at the Police Department and maintain the protection that the citizens of our city deserve."
Snapp said he hopes to begin receiving applications as soon as this afternoon to fill the position permanently.
In Columbia County, Waldo is also lacking a police chief.
Waldo Mayor Patricia Glover said Tuesday that she fired Police Chief Robert Philson last week but declined to say why. She said the issue was to be discussed at the City Council meeting Tuesday night and deferred further comment until after the meeting.
A phone number for Philson could not be located. In addition to a full-time chief, Waldo also employs several part-time officers.
Information for this article was contributed by John Worthen of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
State Desk on 01/21/2015