Pendergrass Police Department officer Kirk Davis and Pendergrass City Council member Gabriel Gomez got into a screaming match during the public comments portion of the Oct. 28 meeting, before the council went into executive session.
Justin Elrod said during public comment that Gomez posted his photo on social media associating Elrod with vandalism in Pendergrass during August.
“Gomez put my name out to the public, to the police department and everything else. I wonder why you put my life in danger,” Elrod said.
Gomez denied posting a photo of Elrod on social media.
Elrod brought a sheet of paper with three photos, a mugshot and two streetlight surveillance photos. When he showed it to the council, Councilman Bob Carter told him there was no evidence to show Gomez posted the photos on social media. Carter told Elrod to come back with further evidence.
Immediately following Elrod’s public comment, Davis approached the lectern. He introduced himself, then pointed his finger at Gomez and called him a liar.
This may be career suicide, but I will not stand by while you call that man a liar,” Davis said. “You sent that email to me to have me go out looking for that man (referring to Elrod).”
The person who committed the vandalism was arrested, but it was not Elrod. As Davis raised his voice, Gomez immediately responded at the same volume.
“Are you a detective?” Gomez said. “I didn’t post this picture online. You’re a liar. I didn’t post that online. I might have said it to you to investigate a few people.”
As Davis walked away from the lectern, Gomez threatened to sue the city.
Margaret Pope is a Fink Fellow in the Cox Institute’s Journalism Writing Lab at the University of Georgia. This story also was published in The Jackson Herald.
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