ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Ross Named Police Chief

Wixom Named Assistant Chief



Thom Ross, left, and Leo Wixom, III, newly appointed chief and assistant chief of the Archbold Police Department. The two were serving on an interim basis until council voted to move them to permanent status at its Monday, Dec. 5 meeting.– photo by David Pugh

Thom Ross, left, and Leo Wixom, III, newly appointed chief and assistant chief of the Archbold Police Department. The two were serving on an interim basis until council voted to move them to permanent status at its Monday, Dec. 5 meeting.– photo by David Pugh

Archbold Village Council took the “interim” off the titles of the two top Archbold police officers during its Monday, Dec. 5 meeting.

Thom Ross, a 30-year veteran of the department, was officially named the police chief.

Leo Wixom, III, who was hired by the village in May, was named assistant chief.

Ross has served as interim chief since September 2015, when Joe Wyse, then-police chief, suffered a stroke.

Jeff Fryman, mayor, told Ross, “We’ve appreciated the time you’ve filled in as interim, how you helped us through that whole transition in a sad situation. We appreciate your hard work and dedication.”

Ross said, “It was my honor to be able to step in and uphold the police department.”

He added he was humbled by council’s support of the department.

Assistant

Ross, who served as assistant chief since 1995, had expressed an interest in retiring at the end of the year.

But on the night of Sept. 22, 2015, Wyse, who had been police chief for about one year, had a stroke.

Wyse spent about nine weeks in hospitals before returning home in December 2015.

When named interim chief, Ross’ salary was moved to the police chief level.

In March, while serving as interim police chief, council approved a retire-rehire offer for Ross. The move allows Ross to draw both his pension check from the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund and a regular paycheck from the village.

At the time, Fryman said moving Ross to retire-rehire status was a break-even proposition for the village financially.

Never A Sick Day

Wyse was kept on the books as police chief for months after his stroke.

Fryman said Wyse, who never took a sick day in 18 years on the force, had accrued enough sick time to last until September of this year.

Once his sick time expired, his family purchased two months of continued village medical insurance through COBRA, or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Action of 1986.

Sections of the COBRA bill provide a “continuation of group health coverage that otherwise might be terminated.”

He did not draw a village paycheck during that time.

Donna Dettling, village administrator, said a letter separating Wyse from the village was sent to the Wyse family several weeks ago, with Friday, Dec. 2, as the effective date.

It was a hard letter to write, Dettling said.

“We wish him (Wyse) well,” Fryman said.


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