A Democrat mayor in New York has provoked outrage over allegations that she warned a suspected pedophile that he was about to be arrested on child molestation charges.
On Monday, community activist Gabriel Thompson sued the mayor of Mount Vernon, New York, Shawyn Patterson-Howard.
Thompson filed the lawsuit over accusations that Patterson-Howard tipped off her “close associate,” basketball coach Dwayne Murray.
Patterson-Howard reportedly told Murray that he was about to be charged with molesting a 12-year-old girl.
The mayor allegedly summoned Murray to her office in late April to tell him about the forthcoming charges.
“I just see lawlessness,” Thompson told the New York Post.
“She needs to resign. Are you kidding me?
“The mayor of a city reached out to someone … who she assumed was a pedophile, to warn them.
“That person cannot be given a position of public trust,” he said.
“I have no political interest.
“I’m not running for office,” Thompson asserted.
“This isn’t about that at all, period, full stop.
“This is just someone who’s disgusted, disgusted with people in power using their office like this.”
Court documents showed that Murray admitted Patterson-Howard showed him a text message.
She allegedly received the text from a supporter about Murray’s actions (though it didn’t name him directly).
Murray also posted denials on social media before he was charged with inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor on May 15.
The social media posts suggest he knew what was about to happen.
“I want to make it crystal clear, I’ve never, ever done anything inappropriate with the players on my team, or any team for that matter,” he said in a video clip.
“This whole thing is a smear campaign to silence me, pure and simple,” he added.
Murray was the executive director of the well-known Mount Vernon Junior Knights youth basketball program.
He also worked on Patterson-Howard’s campaigns.
He previously lived with Mount Vernon School Board member Erica Peterson, for whom Patterson-Howard had campaigned.
The alleged unethical conduct is only one of several allegations in the lawsuit.
Thompson also said that Patterson-Howard campaigned for Peterson and other candidates on city time.
She is also accused of having a taxpayer-funded police detail during all of her campaigning.
Both of these accusations say that she misused taxpayer funds.
The mayor said in a statement that the lawsuit is “politically motivated and frivolous.”
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