SOMERVILLE POLICE CHIEF, CITY ADMINISTRATOR REJECT CALLS FROM MAYOR TO RESIGN

  

The Somerville Police Chief and City Administrator will not resign despite calls from the mayor to do so, after the city rejected the rehiring of an officer involved in a controversial death in 2017.

Mayor Micheal Bradford told KWHI that both Police Chief Craig Wise and City Administrator Danny Segundo have refused to step down from their positions.  Bradford publicly called for their resignations Tuesday, saying the two were responsible for placing the agenda item to rehire Chauna Thompson, now known as Chauna Sheffield, before the Somerville City Council.

Sheffield, a former Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy, along with her husband at the time, Terry Thompson, were indicted on murder charges in the death of John Hernandez at a Houston-area Denny’s restaurant.  Thompson was seen on video putting Hernandez into a choke-hold while Sheffield helped restrain him.  Sheffield did begin CPR on Hernandez when she found he was not breathing, but he died after the incident.

Sheffield, who was off-duty at the time, was fired from her job, but the charges against her were later dropped.  Her husband was convicted on a murder charge and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The council voted Tuesday to not allow Wise to make an offer to re-hire Sheffield, who previously served about five months with the police department but was fired roughly six months ago.  The decision to fire her came after the mayor and others in the community found out about her past.

Bradford said Tuesday that if Wise and Segundo would not step down, he would call a special meeting this upcoming Tuesday to have the council vote on their positions.