Kenly votes to terminate town manager at center of police force complaints

Kenly is forcing out its town manager.

Tuesday, Council members voted 3-2 during a special session to terminate Justine Jones’ contract.

The decision comes about a month after Kenly's entire police force resigned over claims Jones created a difficult work environment.

On Wednesday, Jones sent a response to the media defending herself and denying any allegations of wrongdoing.

"While all related information is certainly a matter of public concern, the allegations made against me were timely and thoroughly vetted by independent sources and there was no such finding of wrongdoing by me or my office. The decision to not communicate the entire story and publicly share the findings of the report is most unfortunate."

Jones expressed appreciation for her supporters and said she was proud of her commitment to leave Kenly better than I found it.

"I am so appreciative to Kenly’s open-minded residents who reserved judgment, town employees who stayed committed and remained focused without missing a beat, and my esteemed colleagues who inspired me."

After meeting in a closed session for about two hours, Mayor "Tooie" Hales told WRAL News the investigation into the claims of a toxic work environment did not have a huge impact on the decision.

He simply said Jones wasn’t a good fit for the town.

"We looked at the best way for the town to move forward and we made the best decision we could," said Hales.

Some residents fault town leaders for not giving the town manager a chance.

"Six weeks? Hostile environment? Really?" said Kenly resident Dina Brooks. "That’s just ridiculous."

Jones began the job in June.

"It was over for her before she even began honestly," said Brooks.

Kenly is now tasked with finding a new town manager and rebuilding its police force. The town continues to rely on 24-hour patrols from the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.

Hales said he’s confident in the direction the town is headed.

"We’re not moving backward, we’re moving forward," said Hales. "This is kind of a clean slate, a reset button for the town and that’s what we’re going to do."

The search for a new police chief is still ongoing.

Jones will likely finish out the rest of her duties this week.