AURORA, Mo. — A man is suing the city of Aurora, claiming he was fired after reporting that Aurora Police Chief Wes Courtney threatened a female officer with a knife and made rape threats.
In a petition filed March 16 in Lawrence County Circuit Court, Tatum Maples claimed the city unlawfully terminated his employment in April 2025 after he reported what he saw inside the police department.
According to the lawsuit, Maples said he saw Courtney hold a knife to a female subordinate employee’s throat in mid-March 2025 while telling her he could rape her and “there was nothing she could do about it.”
Courtney knew Maples witnessed the incident, the petition states.
Maples said he told a supervisor shortly afterward what he had seen and said he planned to file a formal complaint against Courtney. The lawsuit states that on April 3, 2025, Maples sent an email to the Aurora city clerk and city manager reporting the alleged assault.
Courtney subsequently opened two administrative investigations into Maples — one related to the vehicle pursuit in September 2024 and another involving the arrest in December 2024, the lawsuit states.
Maples claims the city terminated his employment on April 10, 2025, about a week after he formally reported Courtney’s alleged conduct.
The petition claims the firing violated Missouri’s Public Employee Whistleblower Protection Act. It also claims the city violated the Missouri Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights during the investigation that led to his firing.
According to the lawsuit, Maples was interviewed on April 10, 2025, as part of an administrative investigation into his conduct during his arrest in December 2024, but did not receive a copy of the complaint or written notice of the investigation at least 24 hours in advance.
The lawsuit also alleges that neither Maples nor his attorneys or representatives had an opportunity to review the complaint prior to an interview.
The petition further alleges the city violated state law by failing to complete an investigation into citizen complaints related to the September 2024 pursuit within 90 days.
Maples is asking the court to award more than $25,000 in damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress and reputational damage, as well as attorney’s fees and other costs.
He also seeks reinstatement to his old position, back pay, benefits and an order vacating the city’s action against him.
Aurora City Manager Carrie Howlett testified at an administrative hearing on June 20, 2025, that she made the decision to terminate Maples’ employment, the petition states. Howlett testified that the decision was made after receiving Maples’ complaints about Courtney but was “completely unrelated,” according to the lawsuit.
Ozarks First reached out to the city and Courtney’s email for comment. No response has been received yet.
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