A small-town Alabama police chief has been suspended after making "sarcastic" statements about sexual abuse on Facebook.
Killen police Chief Bryan Hammond wrote on Facebook that "silence is consent" and made what he called a joke about being sexually assaulted by U.S. Senate candidate Democrat Doug Jones.
Hammond is suspended for 15 days without pay because of the comments that were reported by AL.com, said Killen Mayor Tim Tubbs. The mayor declined to comment further on the situation.
Hammond's Facebook comments came in the wake of sexual assault allegations against U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore. AL.com first reported on the comments this past Friday.
"On another note, Doug Jones fondled me on a boy scout camping trip in 1978," Hammond wrote in a Facebook comment. "I wasn't gonna say anything, but I just couldn't stand the thought of him being a senator. I was ok with it until now. By the way, you can't see me right now but I'm crying as I type this."
In a phone interview with AL.com, Hammond said none of it was true, that he was making a joke.
"That was sarcasm," the chief said.
Hammond also posted a photo of a yearbook signature purportedly from Jones. The photo shows this hand-written message: "Bryan, Thanks for the great time camping. Doug Jones."
Hammond's statements appeared on a thread of comments on a TV station article about Beverly Young Nelson, a woman who has accused Moore of trying to rape her in 1977 when she was 16 and he was 30-something. Nelson at a press conference with lawyer Gloria Allred earlier this week showed a yearbook that she claims Moore signed.
- Click here to read AL.com's coverage of Roy Moore.
Hammond's comments appear on a Facebook post that was made by a woman on his friend list. The post, which shares a news article about Nelson, includes the phrases "Fake News" and "Vote Roy Moore!" It also shows American flag and heart emojis. The post was deleted after AL.com contacted Hammond Friday.
Hammond has been working in law enforcement for over two decades. His career at Killen began in 1998, according to the police department's website. Killen is a northwest Alabama town of about 1,000 in Lauderdale County.
The TimesDaily first reported Hammond's suspension.