Aragon mayor states Riley cleared of allegations in letter

In a letter dated a day after Marc Riley was promoted back into the position of interim Police Chief of Aragon’s department, the mayor wrote Riley had been cleared of a previous allegation of wrongdoing prior to his appointment..

Mayor Garry Baldwin’s letter dated Friday, Sept. 21 stated that a review of allegation against Riley was completed because no civilian complaints had been lodged against the current interim chief.

“And due to a conversation with (Polk County Police Department) Chief Kenny Dodd on the main incident on Creekbank Road. I find these allegations without warrant,” Baldwin wrote.

Riley was placed on administrative leave for a time but had been cleared for normal duty at the time of the appointment, according to the city. A write-up over allegations was previously made on Sept. 15, according to the letter from Baldwin provided by the city.

The mayor’s letter clearing Riley of any wrongdoing comes following allegations made by the former interim chief Alison Taulbee, who is now on administrative leave pending another investigation into allegations of misconduct.

Dodd was present for Aragon’s city council meeting on Sept. 20, and spoke with officials behind closed doors for a short amount of time.

Riley was voted by the council to take on the duties of interim chief after they voted to place Taulbee on administrative leave after a complaint was filed earlier that day. The council stated in their motion they would remove Taulbee from command pending the completion of the investigation. They also stated they will revisit the matter at the October 18 council meeting.

A longtime veteran of the Aragon Police Department, Riley served as the Aragon police chief starting with his official appointment in 2015 until this past February, when he was demoted and Brad Loyd took the position.

Riley’s re-appointment to the job marks the fourth change in command for the police department this year.