The Brighton City Council decided to retain police chief Larry Woods during a meeting on Wednesday night, putting a halt to efforts aimed at removing him amid mounting corruption allegations involving several councillors.

Reports suggest that Woods has accused council members of retaliating against him for their investigations into misconduct. This includes issues related to Councillors Jerome McMullin and Ronnie Mary.

Earlier this week, McMullin was arrested and later released after being charged with tampering with evidence associated with a double murder case from December 2024. Allegedly, he recorded video at the crime scene without authorization.

In another alarming situation, Councillor Marie faces accusations of soliciting $900 from a bingo establishment in January 2023 to ensure continued operations while providing private security. The police report also references previous claims of harassment, bribery, criminal trespassing, and simple assault dating back to 2021. He chose not to comment when approached by reporters about the most recent accusations.

During the council meeting, Woods’ lawyers presented reasons city officials cited for considering his potential dismissal, such as insufficient staffing on a holiday and misuse of city fuel cards. Woods refuted these claims, suggesting the real issue was retaliation related to his investigations into misconduct by board members.

Furthermore, reports indicated that both Marie and McMullin have worked to undermine Woods, particularly after he started filing complaints against them.

Despite the surrounding controversy, the council ultimately opted not to remove Woods from his role. He expressed that he still feels targeted but emphasized his commitment to his job.

As of now, city officials have not released any formal statements addressing the broader allegations of corruption or the possibility of an internal investigation.