By Graham Sturgeon, staff writer
BYRON POLICE CHIEF Tim Sampey when he spoke about three years ago during a Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce Chamber A-M at the Comstock Inn, downtown Owosso. (Independent File Photo/BILL CONSTINE)
The Byron Village Council has announced the retirement of their longtime police chief, Tim Sampey, effective Aug. 10. The village council also extended an invitation to the public to attend a celebratory reception for Sampey that the council is holding on Aug. 10 after their monthly meeting, which begins at
7 p.m. The council voted during their July 13 meeting to accept Sampey’s retirement, and they also decided to honor their chief with a commemorative badge, which will be presented to the chief on Aug. 10.
The council, as a token of their appreciation and respect for Sampey, also voted during their July meeting to clear Sampey’s disciplinary record, which included three reprimands over the past four months. The council had voted previously on the issue of whether to terminate the chief after he was charged with “gross insubordination” for failing to respond to requests from Village President Kit Brunell to appear on numerous occasions. The council ultimately decided to give Sampey a verbal warning since he has had a relatively clean record during his eight-plus years with the village. Sampey could not be reached for comment, but he has agreed to be present at the Aug. 10 meeting to say goodbye to the village he has patrolled for the better part of a decade.
