High Springs police chief reinstated; city hall meeting postponed over ADA concerns
HIGH SPRINGS, Fla. (WCJB) - Hundreds of residents packed High Springs City Hall on Tuesday after the city reinstated Police Chief Antoine Sheppard following an internal investigation, but the meeting was postponed before public comment could begin due to ADA accessibility concerns.
Chief reinstated after policy violations found
Sheppard had been on administrative leave during the internal investigation. The city determined he violated several policies related to extra-duty assignments and oversight, but issued a final written warning rather than terminating him.
Crowd reaches capacity before meeting is postponed
More than 100 people attended the meeting, filling the chambers to capacity. Many came prepared to speak during public comment, saying they wanted more transparency about the investigation.
The city attorney advised commissioners to postpone the meeting after the elevator to the second-floor chambers stopped working, creating ADA accessibility concerns for the public. Commissioners unanimously voted to continue the meeting to July 23.
Residents react
Charles Moore, a resident, said he supports the chief’s reinstatement.
“I know he’s a good man, he’s straight, he’s not going to do anything undercover that’s going to break the law, I know that, I’ve been known that for a while,” Moore said.
Adam Joy, senior pastor of Deeper Purpose Ministries, said residents felt dismissed by the postponement.
“The citizens of this town that were just in the meeting that were told to leave, they feel like we’ve been stabbed in the back, that it was a way to shut us up, and to make us go home,” Joy said. “We have to leave here, but we don’t have to shut up and we’re not going to.”
City leaders said the July 23 meeting will be held at the High Springs Civic Center to ensure all residents can safely attend and participate.
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