Norway citizens rallied last night in support of recently fired police chief Jim Preacher. Approximately 200 people showed up on a hot summer night, recounting their experiences with Preacher. Some also expressed their dismay with Norway Mayor Brad Fogle over his decision to relieve the police chief of duty after 17 years of service.

Preacher's friend, Cindy Covington, led off the proceedings, which doubled as a peaceful protest and a tribute to Preacher.

"We formed this meeting to show what a good man he is," Covington said. "He made me feel safe in my community and home."

Preacher was not in attendance, but his son, Jaime, was there and said he was amazed at the outpouring of support for this father. "I'm glad they support him," he said. He said that his father is holding up well, given the circumstances.

Preacher was notified of his dismissal by a letter that was hand-delivered by Fogle on Thursday. That letter outlined 12 reasons for Preacher to be fired, one of which alleged that he cursed at a town police officer in front of a citizen.

Those at Monday's gathering universally lauded Preacher's performance as police chief -- even people whom Preacher had arrested, like Ronald Singleton.

"Will the people of Norway be better off without him? No! I think the people of Norway were doing well with him," Singleton said.

Another man told the crowd that Preacher visited him in jail, checked on his family and occasionally gave him money. "I love him for that," the man said.

Another man told about a time when Preacher arranged for a prisoner to attend his brother's funeral.

Account after account of Preacher's service and generosity to the Norway community was given by those in attendance, often times joined by a chorus of amens from the crowd.

During the rally, attention shifted at some points toward denouncing Mayor Brad Fogle's actions in firing Preacher.

"Jim's been done wrong. He's had our back for 17 years," Norway resident Gene Walter said. Walter also suggested that the town was in violation of the state's Freedom of Information law because only three of the four town council members were consulted about firing Preacher.

The councilman who was left out of the discussion, Ken Bates, came out and stated that he believed that Preacher got a raw deal. "He had a right to a hearing. The mayor told him that he didn't have to give a hearing," Bates said.

Several local stores have circulated petitions calling for Preacher's reinstatement.

It was reported that several signs that criticized Fogle's handling of Preacher's firing were posted on telephone poles on entrances into Norway. According to sources, the signs first appeared on Sunday morning, were then removed, reappeared on Monday morning and were taken down again. Allegedly, the signs were made of plywood and read, "Mayor Brad tell the truth," and one supposedly labeled the mayor a backstabber.

Chuck Blake, owner of Blake's Texaco, said he will run for mayor in November against Fogle, and if he wins, he will reinstate Preacher. Blake said the town had a bad drug problem before Preacher came into the picture, and that he cleaned it up.

"Since Jim Preacher has come to Norway, nothing has happened in terms of crime. He had a good rapport with the community," Blake said.

Many in the Norway community are still not sure why the popular police chief was fired. Ann Johnson believes the reasoning for Preacher's dismissal was personal problems between him and the mayor. "I think it's more of a personal thing than a town thing," she said.

Others professed to have no clue as to why their police chief was forced out of office. "I don't quite understand what transpired," Al Berry said outside the local IGA grocery store.

Regardless of the reason, most in the town of Norway support of Preacher.

Vance Polite is one of those people. He says that Preacher was responsible for capturing two suspects who allegedly shot him, tied up his wife, and robbed his house on Christmas night last year. If not for Preacher's actions of tracking the suspects down, they would have escaped on a bus to Washington, D.C., according to Polite.

Echoing the sentiments of virtually the entire community, he said, "We're going to miss him."

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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