GLASGOW — Chief of Police Gary Bewley stated he has been asked to step down from the top job at the Glasgow Police Department.

“I have been asked to resign by the mayor. I’m not stepping down voluntarily,” Bewley said Tuesday morning.

The request follows Monday afternoon’s action by Mayor Darrell Pickett, after a meeting with city council members in closed session, to suspend without pay the second- and third-ranking officers in the department, majors Maxie Murray and Johnny Travis.

The two officers were arrested last Wednesday and charged with three counts each of witness threatening and one count each of possession of Hydrocodone without a prescription. They are lodged in the Warren County Regional Jail after a judge ruled against releasing them from detention on Friday in U.S. District Court in Owensboro.

The mayor has the right to make any changes in departmental job positions he sees fit, Bewley said. He was unsure if he would be stepping down to his former rank or retiring from the department.

No effective date has been set.

“I’m still minding the store in the meantime,” he said.

There was no action taken by the council following the closed session Monday afternoon.

“City council is trying to stay abreast of the situation as best as possible,” said council member Tim Stutler. “It’s a very regrettable situation. We’re not privy to all the information yet still. We can’t do a lot until we find out about those things (being investigated by federal agents). We want to do everything we can to make sure the police department functions to the best of its ability for the citizens of Glasgow, so we’re going to do everything we can to make that happen.”

The city council is the legislative body of the city, but being a third-class Kentucky city means the mayor has the power to hire and fire, said councilwoman Jeanie Scalise.

Other council members who were contacted deferred their comments to the mayor or had no comment.

“We’ve been instructed to divert all calls to the mayor,” Freddie Norris said. “The mayor said it’s best to let him answer all questions.”

Bewley released a statement Tuesday afternoon after it was revealed Pickett had asked for his resignation.

“The mayor, after being in closed session with city council members, called me into his office and told me he would have to ask for my resignation.

“I reassured the mayor that I was in no way to blame for the actions of the two officers that were indicted. I assured him that no one at the department had any idea what went on behind closed doors. No police officer at our department would have allowed the things that were alleged to have happened, to go on, had they known about it. It is very simple, nobody knew, until it was being investigated by another agency. Once that investigation began, there was nothing to do but wait for the findings.

“I feel the people of my department know the truth and I have nothing to be ashamed of in their presence. I just feel hurt and betrayed by this action. Everything I was told by the investigators, I relayed to the mayor and the city attorney. No one in my position could have done more.

“As I stated earlier, this is so regrettable and I know we have had our share of problems. It seems the mayor feels I am not the one who can fix the problems. I think the mayor has the best intentions and is doing what he thinks best.

“I want to thank the mayor for his confidence in allowing me to hold this position for the last four years. It has been rewarding, but it has also been a most trying time. The mayor has been good to me and I owe him a lot. However, I just can’t help at this time feeling a little betrayed.

“I appreciate the opportunity to have served the citizens of Glasgow and all the fine people who have been a part of our department.

“We have wonderful people at the Glasgow Police Department and I beg everyone to please support them as much as you can, as they recover from this terrible occurrence.”

Pickett was in Frankfort Wednesday, but said he would be meeting with Bewley again sometime Thursday.

“I talked to him (Bewley) Monday. I have not made any public announcement about his position,” he said. “Somebody jumped the gun. Chief Bewley and I need to talk some more.”

Pickett said he had no comment about anything in Bewley’s statement.