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Junction City Police Chief Lawsuit Alledges Discrimination

The police chief of Junction City is suing the municipality and the former City Administrator. Junction City Police Chief Mark Chase says his First Amendments rights were violated. In his complaint, he asserts he was denied due process when then-City Administrator, Melissa Bowers, discriminated against him based on his Christian faith.

Portland attorney Sean Riddell represents the Police Chief.

Riddell: “In the complaint it does detail that soon after Ms. Bowers found herself in a supervisory position over Chief Chase, she began to ask him about his religious beliefs and what impact if any they had on how he did his job.”

Last July, Melissa Bowers placed Chief Chase on leave. Two internal investigations were conducted. In February, Chase returned to the police department and Bowers resigned for personal reasons. Neither has responded to calls for comment.

Credit KEZI

The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Eugene, seeks damages of at least $300,000.

Tiffany joined the KLCC News team in 2007. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked in a variety of media including television, technical writing, photography and daily print news before moving to the Pacific Northwest.
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