Carbondale Police Chief Jody O'Guinn has been relieved of his duties.
Carbondale City Manager Kevin Baity made the announcement Monday morning in a written release. Baity says O'Guinn was dismissed as of 9:00am Monday. O'Guinn took over the department in June 2009. O'Guinn has had a rocky tenure at times. In 2011, his personal firearm was apparently stolen from his car and was used in a shooting death in Carbondale. O'Guinn has also drawn criticism from some community members over the handling of the investigation of the death of 21-year old Molly Young in 2012 and most recently the disappearance and death of 19-year old SIU-C student Pravin Varughese in February of this year.
Carbondale City Manager Kevin Baity says his decision to to fire Chief O'Guinn is "a confidential matter and has nothing to do with the unsolved cases or recent litigation filed against the City of Carbondale and the Chief." Baity says "any assumptions or allegations to this effect are completely unfounded." O'Guinn came to Carbondale from Alton, IL where he served as Deputy Chief of Police.
Deputy Chief of Police Jeff Grubbs has been appointed as interim Police Chief, a position he has held before following the retirement of former Police Chief Bob Ledbetter in December 2008. Grubbs joined the Carbondale Police Department in 1991 and has served as a K-9 handler, crime scene technician, and a special response team member. Grubbs has served as Deputy Chief since 2006. No time line has been established for hiring a new Chief.
