
The South Haven police chief saga continues.
In the latest chapter, we’ve learned that Dennis Honholt, the now-former South Haven police chief who kept another police chief job in Tennessee while working for South Haven, has now resigned from his role in Tennessee.
As WSJM reported, Honholt’s resignation from South Haven only came after media scrutiny started with a newspaper article out of Dover, Tennessee, where a journalist learned of Honholt’s simultaneous holding of the two police chief roles.
Honholt started in South Haven in April of this year. Less than a month later, City Manager Kate Hosier — to whom the police chief reports to — released a statement saying Honholt had resigned from South Haven service.
“City leadership was shocked and disappointed to learn Honholt failed to resign his position in Tennessee once he accepted the position as our police chief. When Honholt was hired on April 1, it was with the explicit understanding that serving as our police chief was to be his exclusive employment.” — South Haven City Manager Kate Hosier.
Now, the Stewart County Standard newspaper reports that Honholt turned in his resignation to Dover, TN city officials on May 9.
“…When asked why (Chief) Honholt resigned and if (Dover City Administrator Charles) Parks had spoken to the City Manager of South Haven, Parks said, ‘I put some calls in, I haven’t talked to the City Manager directly. Friday he just decided to turn in his resignation and we accepted his resignation. He’s resigned, so that’s all I can really say.’” — May 13 story in the Stewart County Standard.
Honholt has not spoken to inquiring media about the situation. In his last interview, he indicated people were “confused” about the situation and that he was on personal leave from the Tennessee role when he was serving in South Haven.
In the past year, South Haven has had six police chiefs including three interim appointments and two permanent appointees who’ve served a month or less. The current interim police chief is Adam DeBoer.
WSJM has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the City of South Haven requesting access to and copies of any and all records of communication between city officials or employees of the City of South Haven and any investigators or background check agencies hired to investigate police chief candidates. City officials have communicated they anticipate a response will be ready on or before May 28.