Evansdale council votes to fire police chief

EVANSDALE - Evansdale Police Chief Kent Smock, who led the department during the ongoing missing cousins case, was fired Tuesday night.

Mayor Doug Faas said the vote to terminate came at the end of a closed-door session Tuesday night. He would not say what led to Smock's termination after three years with the city.

'That's a personnel issue,” Faas said.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported the city council meet in executive session for 65 minutes to discuss personnel matters. Faas told the Courier the meeting was closed at Smock's request. The council and city attorney met for 45 minutes in the mayor's office and then summoned Smock, who left five minutes later, according to the Courier. Smock, 56, of Evansdale, did not comment to a reporter at the meeting.

Faas told The Gazette that Tuesday's closed session was the third such meeting since the beginning of February. After the first closed session in early February, Faas and the city council requested Smock take an 'extended vacation,” Faas said. Faas said that vacation has gone on for eight weeks.

Council member Gene Walker said he would not comment on the matter.

'We have no comment on it,” Walker said. 'This is an internal, personal thing. There's just no comment whatsoever at this time.”

Smock was appointed police chief in March 2012. Four months later, on July 13, cousins Lyric Cook-Morrisey and Elizabeth Collins were reported missing after going for a bike ride in Evansdale. Their bodies were found on Dec. 5, 2012, in Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremer County.

Smock led a news conference on the case on Feb. 3, 2015 in Evansdale and explained investigators were hoping to speak with individuals who were familiar with the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area.

The missing cousins investigation shouldn't be affected by Smock's termination, Fass said.

'The (Division of Criminal Investigation) is fully up to speed on that, as are several other law enforcement agencies,” he said. 'As is virtually everyone currently at the police department.”

Faas said Sgt. Jeff Jensen has been acting police chief during Smock's extended leave. Faas said he intends to appoint an interim chief - likely Jensen - at the council's next meeting on Tuesday. They will also discuss how the process for finding and naming Smock's permanent replacement.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier contributed to this report.