Former Police Chief Burrel “Chip” Davis still faces decommissioning by the Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission (P.O.S.T.).
By Daniel Smithson
Published: Aug. 23, 2023 at 3:18 PM CDT
Warning: Some details in this report may be disturbing.
LA VERGNE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The La Vergne Police Department has officially hired a replacement for its former chief who found himself embroiled in a national headlining police sex scandal that fell victim to internet trolls.
Christopher Moews, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, will become La Vergne’s next police chief, according to a release from the city Wednesday afternoon.
Moews is currently a police captain in Milwaukee. Moews’ leadership will be key as he restores the public’s confidence in their police department after the city’s former top cop was fired for his part in the sex scandal.
A ‘Girls Gone Wild’ party, Strip Uno and Lies: WSMV4 obtains transcripts of La Vergne police sex scandal interviews
Here’s a look back at what the former chief was accused of and what a third-party investigation said he knew about officers having sex on the job:
Text messages
Text messages documented in a third-party investigation into the La Vergne police sex scandal showed the department’s former chief, despite condemning it, not only knew about sexual misconduct between officers months before it was made public but could have also encouraged it.
The City of La Vergne fired former Police Chief Burrel “Chip” Davis in response to a third-party investigation conducted by Frost Brown Todd LLP, making him the sixth officer fired in connection to the sex scandal.
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Five officers were fired initially after an internal investigation showed officers were having sex on and off duty and on city property, as well as exchanging nude photos. A third-party investigative report showed Davis, who was heavily involved in questioning fired officers, asked for and received nude photos before the investigation began.
Davis admitted to investigators during their investigation that he received photo and video messages from Sgt. Henry “Ty” McGowan. The texts showed Maegan Hall, who was at the center of the sex investigation, nude and masturbating, according to the investigative report.
An Oct. 31, 2022 text exchange between Davis and McGowan noted Davis was using a “burner phone” he called “ole boy” to send and receive the texts. The messages were related to a conversation about Hall and Sgt. Lewis Powell engaging in sexual acts.
Below is an excerpt from those text messages:
Chief Davis: You never sent me whatever
Chief Davis: I’m on ole boy
Sgt. McGowan: Give me a few
Sgt. McGowan: [Nude photo of woman’s buttocks]
Sgt. McGowan: [13-second video of woman masturbating]
Chief Davis: She must be obsessed
Sgt. McGowan: Oh hell yeah. That (expletive) need to stop lol
Chief Davis: Yep
Sgt. McGowan: But dayum
Chief Davis: It [sic] hard to look at her and not say, you know I know! Lol
Sgt. McGowan: She’s definitely got it
Davis later admitted to receiving another lewd video of Hall in December, according to the third-party investigative report. When questioned by investigators about the texts early on in the investigation, Davis said he had the burner phone to have conversations he did not want on his personal or work phone.
Investigators said Davis implied during their investigation the texts were not sent in his capacity as police chief.
After this conversation, the City of La Vergne decided it would need to request an independent investigation. The third-party investigation found Davis knew about the sexual misconduct before the initial investigation and did not voluntarily disclose that at least two members of the La Vergne Police Department were engaging in inappropriate sexual activity.
Investigators also reviewed a text exchange from Oct. 25, 2022, in which McGowan sent Davis a photograph of a male’s foot inside Hall’s mouth.
Chief Davis: Who dat
Sgt. McGowan: Hall… Lewis
Chief Davis: He on it again
Sgt. McGowan: He swears he ain’t
Chief Davis: She nor her husband took that picture
Sgt. McGowan: She has a tight little ass tho
Chief Davis: Yep.
Investigators believe Davis facilitated a hostile work environment in violation with city policy and the rules of the police department by receiving nude images and video of Hall and failing to report it to city officials. This led to Davis’ termination from the police department. He still faces decommissioning from the Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission (P.O.S.T.).
Deputy Chief Brent Hatcher was named interim chief of police. Moews’ start date has been set for Sept. 6.
“I am excited to begin this new chapter of my career with the La Vergne Police Department, becoming an active member of the La Vergne community, working towards restoring community trust, and continuing to grow and develop the department is my top priority,” Moews said. “During the course of meeting with several members of the La Vergne Police Department, as well as other city leaders, I have been impressed with their professionalism and dedication. It is an honor to serve the City of La Vergne as its next police chief!”
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