Video: Assault Case Against Aberdeen Chief of Police Dismissed

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ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – Nearly a year after the Aberdeen Chief of Police and the City’s Building Inspector got into a heated argument, the assault case brought against the Chief by the Inspector has been settled.

Just 15 minutes after the trial started, Lee County Justice Judge John Sheffield, dismissed the simple assault case brought against Aberdeen Police Chief Henry Randle. Aberdeen City Building Inspector David Low accused Randle of assaulting him in June 2014.

“Basically there was never an assault. Second of all, there’s things that are going on in Aberdeen, it just worsens the city’s reputation. That’s what I’m upset about if anything. We keep giving Aberdeen a black eye for no apparent reason,” says Randle.

Low called two witnesses to testify on his behalf, however both witnesses said they didn’t hear or see what happened between the men during the incident. Low claimed Randle asked him to stop taking pictures of the skating rink on Fair Street and threatened to knock his teeth out. Low testified at one point that Randle made no threatening moves towards him.

“Nothing happened. Anybody can get in a heated speech. So that’s to me what may have happened but I was asked to be a witness and I did. I witnessed it. I think David is a fine man and I don’t believe he lied,” says James Sanderson, a witness for Low.

Though he’s happy with the decision to dismiss the case, Randle says he feels like a target and he’s tired of the bad publicity for Aberdeen.

“I definitely think it’s a personal attack along with some of the other things that are going on in Aberdeen. We haven’t done any thing to break the law. We try our best to uphold the law with what we have there in Aberdeen. But it’s just depressing to continue to make a mockery of Aberdeen and that’s what I’m pretty much fed up with.

WCBI News attempted to get a statement from David Low after the trial but he would not make himself available for comment.

Chief Randle was also recently disciplined by the City of Aberdeen, having his pay cut in half and was banned from driving any city vehicles.