Cohutta police were reinstated by the city council days after the mayor’s mass shooting
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The small Georgia town’s police force was reinstated Friday after the mayor fired all officers a few days ago, backing down and standing up for the city council.
During a special meeting, the Cohutta City Council voted to immediately reinstate the officers and reinstate them, the city’s deputy mayor told The Associated Press.
The council also passed a separate measure that prevents the mayor from firing the officials in the next 30 days, but introduced the rest of the agenda, including a motion to oust Mayor Ron Shinnick.
The move comes after Shinnick closed the Cohutta Police Department on Wednesday, laying off all 10 employees and leaving the community of about 1,000 without a police officer.
GEORGIA MAYOR BURNED ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOWN AFTER POLICE COMPLAINED ABOUT HIS WIFE
All police officers in a Georgia city were fired one week after the police and the mayor reportedly resolved their issues through open and honest negotiations. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images)
The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies will assist the town, which is south of the Tennessee line and about 100 miles northwest of Atlanta.
A sign posted on the front door earlier this week read, “The PD has been disbanded, and all personnel have been withdrawn.”
Although the reasons for their shootings have not been made public, the closing of the courthouse appears to be related to a dispute last month after police filed complaints against former city clerk Pam Shinnick, the mayor’s wife.
SMALL TOWN LEFT WITH ZERO COPS AS COUNCIL FIRES LAST OFFICER AMID BLOOMING DRAMA
Mayor Ron Shinnick speaks at Cohutta City Hall in Cohutta, Georgia, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Matt Hamilton/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP)
Pam Shinnick was fired from her position for allegedly creating a “hostile work environment.” The police said in their complaints that he continued to work and was able to get residents’ information despite being terminated.
After the complaints, Shinnick, Police Chief Greg Fowler and city attorney Bryan Rayburn said during a press conference that the situation was resolved through “open discussion and honest negotiation.”
But just a week later, the entire department was disbanded.
EVERY POLICE DEPARTMENT LEAVES THE COMMUNITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA WITHOUT A LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE.
Mayor Ron Shinnick, left, shakes hands with members of the Cohutta Police Department at Cohutta City Hall in Cohutta, Georgia, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Matt Hamilton/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP)
“This is all coming from the mayor, and I believe that wholeheartedly,” former Sgt. Jeremy May told WRCB-TV. “We took a step to be transparent, which resulted in everyone losing their jobs.”
According to Deputy Mayor Shane Kornberg, the city attorney told the council that the firing did not follow the city’s charter, which requires 30 days’ notice before employees can be removed or terminated.
Kornberg said that the council went to the executive committee to discuss the issue that may be heard in court, but the mayor did not return to the meeting. The council then voted to bring back the police force.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
Brittany Miller of Fox News Digital and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
