Free Republic

TOWN OF CAMPBELL — The town of Campbell police chief who tarnished his department’s reputation in a case of cyber-warfare will resign from his position today and seek duty-related mental health disability benefits. The town will pay Tim Kelemen, 37, for 335 accrued hours under an agreement negotiated by the chief’s lawyer and the town’s attorney and approved unanimously Thursday by the Campbell Town Board. “It’s not a good day for the town. It’s not a good day for Tim Kelemen,” town attorney Brent Smith said. “It’s not the way you want to end an employment relationship.” An attorney who...

The police chief of a small town near La Crosse accused of harassing a local tea party activist is leaving his job. The Town of Campbell and Tim Kelemen have reached an agreement which pays the chief for about 330 hours. Kelemen admitted to using the activist's personal e-mail address to sign him up for online dating services, and even pornographic websites. Kelemen's lawyer says the chief will apply for disability benefits for a mental health condition he says stems from harassment by the local tea party activists.

The feud between Campbell, Wisconsin, Police Chief Tim Kelemen and local Tea Party Leader Greg Luce began last fall, when Luce started organizing protests against Barack Obama on an interstate overpass. Kelemen objected to the protests, claiming they disrupted traffic. So, he did what any responsible police chief would do: he persuaded the town board to pass an ordinance banning signs on the bridge. Oh, and he also signed Luce up on homosexual dating, pornography and federal healthcare websites. Via Police One: Kelemen told investigators ...........

Campbell Police Chief Tim Kelemen is on paid leave while authorities investigate whether he broke the law when he used a tea party activist's information online. Board members during a special meeting Thursday voted unanimously to take action against the embattled chief after public outcry that he lost credibility and trust from many in the small community. It's a routine move when an employee is under investigation and not an indication Kelemen is guilty of a crime, said his attorney Jim Birnbaum. "It's neither surprising nor something we don't understand," he said.