TENNESSEE — Lieutenant Ada Thaxter, who has been on leave since January, today surrendered on a Davidson County Grand Jury indictment charging her with two counts of felony forgery.
Thaxter, 49, is accused of authoring letters under the name of Sergeant Danny Hale, Fraternal Order of Police President, which disparaged various members of the MNPD. The letters, dated January 1 and January 6 of this year, were sent via United States mail to several persons, including certain members of the media. When made aware of the letters, Hale made a formal complaint to the police department’s Fraud Unit, which opened a criminal investigation as to their origin. The FBI was also involved.
Work by the MNPD Crime Laboratory led to the development of evidence linking Thaxter to the letters. That evidence was recently presented to the Davidson Country Grand Jury.
The second letter, dated January 6, appears to have been authored on the same day Thaxter began serving an eight-day suspension for harassment and inefficient/deficient performance of duties. Thaxter went on medical leave after the January suspension. She notified the police department on May 5 that she was relinquishing her position effective May 17 to seek a “medical retirement.”
Thaxter is the subject of an Office of Professional Accountability investigation regarding the subject of truthfulness. That investigation has not reached fruition due to Thaxter’s medical leave status. Thaxter has been with the police department for 14 years.
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