Former Holly Police Chief Says Harassment Claims Are At Center Of Her Dismissal

HOLLY (WWJ) - The Holly police chief has stepped down after receiving a no-confidence vote from officers and being placed on administrative leave.

But a lawyer for Elena Danishevskaya says the vote is in retaliation for sexual harassment and discrimination claims she filed against city officials.

"The goal is to clear her name, to make this right, I mean they've completely ruined her reputation and this is ridiculous," said  lawyer Deborah Gordon, who now plans to sue the city on Danishevskaya's behalf.

"This was all a plan that was put into place," said Gordon. "And then we interfered with their plan when my client decided to issue her own press release letting the public know  'yes there was a vote of no confidence' but it came along with a response to her very detailed sexual harassment complaint."

Speaking with WWJ, the acting Holly Police Chief Michael Story said Danishevskaya's administrative leave based on the no-confidence vote is "totally separate" from her sexual harassment claim.

"The union members got together and brought up these 19 instances - and 12 of the 13 union members did sign that document," said Story.

Gordon says those claims are bogus.