On April 15, the city of Russellville found no wrongdoing in a Human Resources investigation into claims of harassment, intimidation and a hostile work environment within the city’s fire department.
“Results of the investigation revealed that there was no hard evidence of misconduct by former Fire Chief John Cochran,” Human Resource Director Tanessa Vaughn’s report stated. “The review also revealed that there haven’t been any formal complaints filed against the fire chief during the last nine years.”
Around the same time the HR investigation was launched, Mayor Randy Horton began investigating a July 27, 2015, fire at a home on East Shore Drive, which resulted in $200,000 in damages.
Both Horton and Vaughn’s findings were released on the same day during a called Personnel Committee meeting. Horton’s investigation found that the home received “extensive damage” because of a misunderstanding that led to “techniques and apparatus being employed in ways that were not in accordance to standardized departmental training.”
The report stated that during the months following the fire, several discussions surfaced about the methods used to fight the fire, however, Horton deemed any further administrative action unnecessary.
“Based to the sum total of all provided information, no one should be subject to disciplinary action,” Horton’s findings stated.
“It was more of a communications breakdown than anything,” Horton said in a later interview. “What one perceives, another may not. Some may say this, others may say that. I tried to piece it together the best I can.”