Saturday, March 29, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
"He is no longer an employee of the city of Lovelock and no longer chief of police," Mayor Ray Espinoza said on Monday. The City Council will have the final say on Tuesday, the Lovelock Review-Miner reported.
Hodge ran afoul of the Council late last month in a squabble over the alleged misuse of city funds. Members held a special meeting, then directed Espinoza to write a letter of reprimand after disagreeing whether to fire Hodge.
"I feel termination is not the answer at this time," Espinoza said last month.
This week, he said Hodge was fired because of complaints about the way he handled some cases. The chief said he had not been told formally that he was out of a job.
Last month's dispute centered on city funds that were earmarked for narcotics investigations.
Councilman Ron Hardy suggested the funds were used for gambling and said Hodge should repay the city.
Hodge insisted the money was spent in a legitimate criminal investigation into drug trafficking in Lovelock.
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