A furor over an adult Web site featuring nude photos of Snyder Police Chief Tod Ozmun's wife has resulted in his resignation and that of the mayor and a councilman.
Ozmun said he was fed up with accusations against himself and his wife and agreed to resign his post, The Oklahoman reported. Mayor Dale Moore and Councilman Clifford Barnard also resigned, citing the “media circus” created by some locals.
The resignations came last Friday, or more than a week since the council agreed that Doris Ozmun’s nude photos were protected by the First Amendment and that the city would not act against the chief or his wife as a result.
But many at a City Council meeting last week called for Ozmun’s firing and for an investigation into the matter.
Mayor Moore said he was shocked by the public reaction to the photos and that he would rather resign “than work in a community like this.”
Shirley Anderson, who served as Snyder’s mayor between 1991 and 1995, said she felt the chief and his wife were immoral and that they need to move out of town.
But Ozmun said he believes the issue has been overblown and that his wife has done nothing wrong. The photos have since been removed from the site.
Likewise, Moore issued a statement about his departure saying: “As mayor and council of the city of Snyder we do not endorse pornography, however, we do endorse an individual’s rights under the First Amendment of freedom and expression.”
Tod Ozmun, who is 34, had been chief since January 2005. He said he met his wife 11 years ago when she was his police partner.
Doris Ozmun was paroled in 2005 after serving two years in prison on drug-related charges.
