MANTUA, Utah — Mantua Mayor Michael Johnson resigned Monday, days after the city's former police chief accused the mayor of firing him for not writing enough speeding tickets.
FOX 13 INVESTIGATES: Utah police chief says he was fired for not writing enough speeding tickets
Johnson announced his resignation on the city's Facebook page, but not before he named a new police chief.
Craig Hamer was sworn in as Mantua's Chief of Police Monday. Photos of the ceremony were also posted to the city's Facebook page.
Hamer was previously an officer with the West Jordan Police Department. He has worked there since as early as 2017 and as recently as 2020 (records to confirm his employment in 2021 were not immediately available).
Last week, FOX 13 showed how Johnson fired the town's then-police chief, Michael Castro, after Castro refused to sign a letter that would have put his employment on probation.
Castro has said Johnson wanted him and his officers to write more speeding tickets on the state highway as a means of financing the police department.
In his resignation letter, Johnson wrote he hoped divisiveness in the town can stop and healing can begin.
