New Lawsuit Against Town Of Maypearl
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MAYPEARL (CBS11) - A new lawsuit against the town of Maypearl blames a man's suicide on harassment he endured after trying to report its police chief for having inappropriate relationships with teenage girls.
James Meyer, a father with five daughters, died just one month before news broke of a state investigation into Chief Kevin Coffey.
According to the lawsuit filed by one of those daughters, Meyer "had knowledge that Kevin Coffey had sexual contact with at least one…high school girl and exchanged inappropriate text messages and phone calls (with) other high school girls."
The suit claims Coffey retaliated, stalking Meyer and his family, making death threats, and threatening to frame Meyer for crimes he didn't commit.
It blames that treatment for causing Meyer the "anxiety, mental anguish, physical pain and suffering" that ultimately led to his suicide in June.
Becki Nicholson said she was appalled last summer to learn Coffey was sending messages to the 14 year old friend of her daughter.
"Pretty explicit. I don't want to go into detail, but they were pretty explicit," she said.
Nicholson said she made sure the girl's parents learned of the messages, but regrets not reporting the behavior to law enforcement.
"It shouldn't have gone on as long as it did."
Learning Meyer's suicide could have been linked to his own efforts to report Coffey left her rattled.
"It makes me outraged to know that, and it makes me sorry for his family,"
The city of Maypearl declined to comment on the lawsuit.
CBS11 was unable to reach Coffey's attorney.
Coffey himself remains in jail charged with sexual assault.
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