POCOMOKE CITY, Md.- Less than two weeks after starting her position, Pocomoke City manager Jeannette DeLude has resigned.
This comes amid mounting tension from the public, local NAACP chapters, and the Coalition for Justice for Anton Black, who all demanded DeLude be ousted for issues surrounding her former position in Greensboro, Md.
City officials say DeLude started on Jan. 21 as the city manager and resigned nine days later.
What happened prior to her being hire in Pocomoke is the source of controversy for some. Prior to this, she was the former town manager of Greensboro. It was during DeLude's tenure as town manager there when a 19-year-old man named Anton Black died while in police custody.
During a struggle with an officer, Black became unresponsive and died.
A medical examiner said a heart condition and stress from the struggle with police officer Thomas Webster likely contributed to his death.
But three years earlier, while working as a Dover, Del., police officer, Webster was arrested for kicking an unarmed man in the head, which was caught on camera. He was found not guilty and later resigned.
But Black's family partially blames DeLude for Black's death. She was the supervisor over the then police chief, Michael Petyo, who hired Webster in Greensboro.
Black's family says under DeLude's supervision as then town manager, Webster was wrongly hired and had he not been hired, Black possibly would have never interacted with Webster.
Richard Potter, founder of the Coalition for Justice for Anton Black said, "With the hiring of Officer Webster, who had a charge of assaulting an African American male, and the community raising that concern, and that concern being dismissed and she went along with the hire anyway, that was a major concern."
Potter has been a very vocal activist on ousting DeLude, especially at last week's council meeting.
DeLude, however, was never charged with any crime, and maintains she didn't commit one. But her former police chief cannot say the same, which is problematic for some.
Maryland's Office of the State Prosecutor says that while chief of the Greensboro Police Department between December 2017 and February 2019, Petyo made factual misrepresentations in an application for certification, which he filed on behalf of Thomas Webster.
That application is reviewed to certify police officers for duty across the state.
On Jan. 17, Petyo pleaded guilty to malfeasance in office, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to two years in jail, all suspended. He was additionally sentenced to three years supervised probation.
In a prior letter statement to WBOC, DeLude said on the matter:
In regards to the hiring of Mr. Webster, once again, the information is incorrect. When Officer Webster was hired, it was done so by a vote by the Mayor and Council based on their interview with Mr. Webster. I did not hire him. They said I lied about the background investigation done on Mr. Webster. I did state a thorough investigation was done and that was based on my knowledge of what had occurred. I do not have the authority to go to a police department and review an officers personnel file for a background check, therefore, I would not have knowledge of what the Chief seen or did not see in that file. This is done by Police personnel and I relied on the Chief to do this task. Based on the information I had I believed a thorough investigation was completed.
After being hired in Pocomoke on Jan. 21, some say the Greensboro incident left a stain on DeLude's reputation, while others supported her in Pocomoke.
DeLude spoke with WBOC last week and did not speak of resigning at the time. In fact, in her statement last week she said, "I am focused on serving all the citizens of Pocomoke and my primary goal is to do so openly, honestly and to ensure everyone is treated fairly and without prejudice or bias. I feel Pocomoke has great potential and I believe that working together we can make great strides forward. "
But city officials say she resigned on Jan. 30, only nine days after starting, and only two days after the council meeting where many expressed contrasting opinions.
Now, many in Pocomoke say their city leadership needs more stability. Before DeLude, Robert L. Cowger was the city manager until he was removed from his position April 15, 2019.
The city has even had recent changes within its police department as well. Police Chief M. Lee Brumley was hired Feb. 7, 2019. Before him, Police Chief Bill Harden served from 2015-2018. Prior to that, Chief Kelvin Sewell served from 2011 to 2015.