COVENTRY, Conn. — Sergeant Michael Hicks resigned from the Coventry Police Department Monday. The CPD made the announcement on its Facebook page on June 9.
Hicks was the subject of multiple investigations involving him allegedly making "inappropriate electronic communications" with a then 15-year-old girl from 2012 to 2013.
FOX61 spoke to the victim's mother back in January. The mother spoke at a town council meeting about the incident. For many of the council members, it was the first time they heard about the allegations and said they were surprised they were not notified about it earlier.
"She said that it actually created a lot of anxiety over the years for her. She was very embarrassed," said Jennifer Burdette of Coventry.
Burdette said her daughter, Amber is now 23-years old and married. However, when she was 15-years old in 2012, she alleged she was a victim of Sergeant Mike Hicks who was 32 at the time.
The CPD told the State's Attorney's Office of the complaint in September 2019, which prompted an investigation by the Connecticut State Police led by the State's Attorney's Office. Due to the criminal investigation, the CPD held off on an internal investigation. Hicks was placed on paid leave in October 2019.
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In April, the State's Attorney's Office told town officials it will not be pursuing criminal conduct against Hicks. On April 20, the CPD launched its own investigation into the alleged incident. Hicks was told to attend an interview on June 9 with Chief Mark Palmer regarding the alleged incident. Police say Hicks rather than go to the interview, told the captain on June 8 he was resigning from the department.
"We know that the community has been concerned regarding the length of time it has taken to resolve this case,” said John A. Elsesser, Town Manager. “Now that these matters can be discussed more publicly, we hope that our citizens will see that the Town acted as promptly as we could – essentially within a timeframe of six weeks. We look forward to moving ahead and continuing to perform community policing in a positive manner.”
Chief Palmer said that "during this time, the men and women of the department have continued to work hard to protect and serve the community. We can now move forward and work hard to once again gain the trust of the citizens of Coventry".
CPD has closed the internal investigation against Hicks due to Hick's resignation.