Camp Verde Town Manager Russ Martin placed Camp Verde Marshal Nancy Gardner on administrative leave Monday, Oct. 23.
According to Martin, in Camp Verde there are two types of administrative leave: Suspension for actions taken and suspension due to pending investigation.
“[The latter] is the case here,” Martin said, adding that the town would be investigating the reasons for Gardner’s forced leave to “clear the air” and to avoid the perception that the town’s top law enforcement official was not receiving “special privileges.”
“Especially in the police officer world, sometimes [an investigation] just clears everything up,” Martin said. “At some point, all of it becomes public. As I have opportunity to share, I will.
“As I’ve told staff, there’s no point in jumping to conclusions or speculating.”
According to Martin, this is currently the sum of information available to the media and matches what he has told Town Council.
“It’s a process,” Martin said, adding that he could not discuss specific details. “I talked to [Gardner] this morning and started it …. She handled it professionally, but it’s not a fun process.”
Gardner was hired by Martin in 2012.
The Camp Verde Journal will follow up as more details become available.
