‘I had a mental illness.’ Monroe elected official says her removal from office was wrong
Charlotte ObserverApr 26, 2022
Former
She wants a jury to reinstate her, according to a lawsuit she filed in
In the lawsuit, James describes the condition she suffered from as “the byproduct of the sudden onset of a short-lived mental illness.”
That explains a series of disturbing confrontations she had with police in
What God told her
The confrontations, as revealed in police videos, included James ordering officers to search a hotel because God had told her a murderer and other criminals were hiding there,
When police later responded to a disturbance call at James’ home that night, she tried to illegally fire or promote several of the officers at the scene, the city said in a later statement detailing the incidents.
When James was then taken to
In an email to the Observer at the time, James accused the city and police of fabricating the descriptions of her behavior at the
On
The vote followed a Monroe hearing officer’s determination that James “engaged in misconduct in office and that just cause exists for her removal from office,” according to a copy of the officer’s
‘I can’t fire police’
James, a Democrat, was elected to the council in 2019. Her term was to expire in
In her lawsuit, she said she had no authority as a council member to fire police officers. Her actions weren’t misconduct in office, she said, because they didn’t occur as part of her role on council, according to the lawsuit filed by Charlotte lawyer
James also seeks money and other damages as determined by a jury.
Removal was ‘appropriate’
City council based its decision to remove James from office on the hearing officer’s report, city spokesman
In her report, McDowell said James “presented no evidence indicating that (a) she received or plans to receive mental health treatment or (b) is taking steps to determine whether such events may occur again or to mitigate that risk.”
James didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from the Observer on Tuesday.
In a statement to the Observer on Tuesday, city spokesman
©2022 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.