Just in from Tom Mars, attorney for State Police Capt. Stacie Rhoads, who sued State Police Director Bill Bryant yesterday, for blocking her promotion to major and commander of the Criminal Investigation Division:

 

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The ASP Director and State Police Commission just announced that Capt. Stacie Rhoads has been promoted to “Major, Commander of the Criminal Investigation Division.”

The lawsuit said Bryant favored Capt. Paulette Ward for the promotion. The Rhoads lawsuit said she was a victim of reverse discrimination because she is white and Ward was favored because she is Black. Rhoads said she had superior qualifications.

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Governor Hutchinson had intervened in this matter, trying to get commission members who favored Rhoads to back Bryant’s choice.

This would appear to settle the main point of the lawsuit. But the lawsuit also asks for back pay to November, the first time the commission considered the promotion, and attorney fees.

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Thursday afternoon, the State Police announced the promotion:

Captain Stacie Rhoads, 52, of Perry County, was promoted to the rank of major.  She is a 24 year veteran of the department.
Major Rhoads has most recently been assigned in an assistant division command position supervising the Criminal Investigation Division, Special Investigations Section and will immediately assume command of the division and its 6 CID companies.