A small town is reeling after its police chief abruptly resigned following the wrongful detainment of a well-known local business owner in what officials are calling a “serious lapse in judgment.”
The incident occurred last Thursday when officers responded to a report of “suspicious activity” outside a hardware store shortly after closing. When they arrived, they found a man loading equipment into a truck. Despite calmly explaining that he was the store’s owner, Evan Mercer, officers detained him on the assumption he was attempting a theft.
Body-camera footage later revealed that Chief Robert Hanley arrived on scene minutes later and authorized the detainment, even after Mercer provided identification and keys confirming ownership.
“I told them my name, my business license, everything,” Mercer said. “They still treated me like I was breaking into my own place.”
Mercer was handcuffed and held for nearly 40 minutes before an employee arrived and confirmed he was, in fact, the owner.
Public backlash was swift.
Residents flooded the department with complaints, and the town council demanded answers. An internal review found that Chief Hanley ignored standard verification procedures and escalated the situation without cause.
Under mounting pressure, Hanley submitted his resignation Monday morning.
Town Mayor Lisa Hunt called the resignation “necessary for rebuilding trust.”
“This was a failure of leadership,” she said. “No one should fear being detained at their own business.”
Mercer says he hopes the incident leads to better training rather than anger.
“I don’t want revenge,” he said. “I want them to learn from this so no one else goes through it.”
The department has announced mandatory retraining on detainment procedures and identification verification.
