Community activist Gabriel Thompson on Monday sued Mount Vernon, New York Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard over accusations that Patterson-Howard tipped off her "close associate," basketball coach Dwayne Murray, that he was about to be charged with molesting a 12-year-old girl.
Patterson-Howard allegedly summoned Murray to her office in late April to tell him about the forthcoming charges.
“I just see lawlessness,” Thompson told the New York Post. “She needs to resign. Are you kidding me? The mayor of a city reached out to someone … who she assumed was a pedophile, to warn them.
“That person cannot be given a position of public trust,” he said. “I have no political interest. I’m not running for office. This isn’t about that at all, period, full stop. This is just someone who’s disgusted, disgusted with people in power using their office like this.”
Court documents showed that Murray admitted Patterson-Howard showed him a text message she allegedly got from a supporter about Murray's actions (though it didn't name him directly).
Murray also posted denials on social media before he was charged with inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor on May 15, suggesting he knew what was about to happen.
“I want to make it crystal clear, I’ve never, ever done anything inappropriate with the players on my team, or any team for that matter,” he said in a video clip.
“This whole thing is a smear campaign to silence me, pure and simple,” he added.
Murray was executive director of the well-known Mount Vernon Junior Knights youth basketball program.
He also worked on Patterson-Howard's campaigns and previously lived with Mount Vernon School Board member Erica Peterson, for whom Patterson-Howard had campaigned.
The alleged unethical conduct is only one of several allegations in the lawsuit.
Thompson also said that Patterson-Howard campaigned for Peterson and other candidates on city time and had a taxpayer-funded police detail go everywhere with her.
Both of these accusations say that she misused taxpayer funds.
The mayor said in a statement that the lawsuit is “politically motivated and frivolous."
