Virginia Mayor Reg Brunk issued a press release on Saturday saying that current Virginia Chief of Police Bryce Kennedy has been suspended with pay while an investigation is being conducted into alleged inappropriate social media messages.
According to Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn an investigation into Kennedy was launched in July. Screenshots of the alleged messages have been shared across social media since the investigation surfaced. The messages were allegedly sent to a minor.
Brunk said in the press release “that the City Administration takes the allegations against Chief Kennedy very seriously. We promote and expect professionalism in the performance and conduct of all our employees.”
Kennedy was named chief last year. He replaced former chief Wesley Helmich, who resigned after pleading guilty to a DUI in a motorcycle wreck in rural Virginia. Kennedy was originally hired as a temporary officer on August 28th, 2018 and named Chief of Police in February 2019. Kennedy, originally from Jacksonville, has been a police officer for 7 years, including three years in a municipality in Alaska.