Investigations indicate sexual harassment at Holly Hill Police Department

HOLLY HILL, Fla. – Additional documents have been released detailing the investigation into the Holly Hill Police Department.

Earlier this week, information was released about inappropriate incidents allegedly involving officers and department employees. In a report from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, investigators describe alleged sexual conduct and sexual harassment in a toxic work environment.

The pages include details of the experiences of female officers and staff, including not only some of the department’s senior leaders but also the former chief himself.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office report describes a culture that many department employees said was “toxic” and sexual in nature.

“I think if you read the interviews of these women, the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up in 2024 as to how something like this could have happened,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said earlier this week.

The investigation began in February when former Holly Hill Police Chief Jeff Miller asked the sheriff’s office to investigate a female officer’s complaint about her male supervisor.

The investigation led to a larger investigation that resulted in the resignations of several department heads, including Miller, Captain Chris Yates and Sergeant Shannon Fountain.

The report contains details of interviews with current and former officials and staff who alleged that sexual acts were not only discussed in the presence of others, but also carried out in front of them.

Interviewees told sheriff’s office investigators that former police chiefs Miller and Yates allegedly asked women to expose themselves. In one incident described in the report, the former police chief allegedly cornered a female officer in a file storage room and ordered her to lift her shirt.

Another employee claimed that the boss exposed himself and touched himself in front of her.

When questioned during the investigation, Miller reportedly told officers that he had a significant number of text messages from the women at the police department that allegedly indicated they initiated the contact.

However, investigators wrote in the report that Miller did not show them any of the messages he allegedly possessed.

The report states that in September 2023, a former officer wrote an email to the city manager expressing concerns that the work environment in the department was hostile and sexual in nature. Investigators note that no action was taken following that email, and the report suggests that the city manager considered the former officer a “disgruntled employee.”

“As a result, no one was interviewed and no documentation was available regarding the allegations,” the sheriff’s office report states. “This oversight by City Manager (Joe) Forte resulted in serious allegations remaining uninvestigated and unresolved.”

Following the release of the sheriff’s office report, Forte issued a statement saying, in part:

“The actions of the Chief, Captain and Sergeant appear to be contrary to the principles they are supposed to defend and enforce in our community. It is imperative that we continue the process of restoration within the Holly Hill Police Department.”

A fourth department head – Sergeant Tom Bentley – faces disciplinary action.

On Wednesday, Spectrum News spoke with Holly Hill’s new police chief, Byron Williams, who is currently a captain with the Daytona Beach Police Department.

“I am a man of integrity, I am a man of accountability, I am a man of transparency. Those are some of the things I want to share with the city of Holly Hill and the residents of Holly Hill,” said Byron Williams.

Williams will be sworn in next month and will take office on July 15.