WARREN, Ohio - Former Newton Falls Police Chief Eugene Fixler has filed a notice that he intends to appeal his firing.

The appeal notice was filed Thursday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court by attorney Daniel Leffler.

Fixler was terminated earlier this month by Newton Falls Council. Council's tie vote was broken by Ken Kline.

The city brought four charges against Fixler alleging neglect of duty. The city accused Fixler of being over budget, but presented no figures.

Fixler testified in 2020 that costs went up due to COVID-19 cases due to overtime. City Council voted that Fixler was guilty of two complaints, but was not guilty on two of the charges.

In October, Fixler was placed on paid administrative leave for 30 days pending a full investigation from the police department. 

Investigation revealed several examples of concern including Fixler's handling of an incident involving an individual who was possibly impaired among others.

However, Fixler had no authority to stop the man from driving since the complaint about the driver was from Portage County.

Legally, Fixler and all other Newton Falls officers can only make arrests in their jurisdiction. The only exception is if a crime starts in Newton Falls, the officers could follow the suspect into another jurisdiction.

The city presented evidence stating that Fixler should not have hired a Trumbull County Deputy who patrolled the Newton Township area and began his career in law enforcement at the Newton Falls City Police Department.

The city said Fixler should have conducted a background check, however Fixler testified he knew the deputy for about nine years and knew his background.

RELATED COVERAGE: