MONTICELLO  — “You can snarl, you can sneer, I don’t care, [but] listen to the facts,” Monticello Village Attorney Michael Sussman firmly stated at the Monticello Village Board meeting when asked about the reinstatement of police officer Yermiah Solomon as a dispatcher. 

Monticello residents requested transparency during the Public Comment session and Sussman explained the situation so the public had “factual information.”

Sussman confirmed that Yermiah Solomon was recently reinstated as a dispatcher under the prior administration. 

According to Sussman, Solomon brought a lawsuit in State Supreme Court against the village. 

“The Village was advised by its lawyers [to reinstate Solomon],” Sussman said.

Sussman was told by the village’s defense counsel Ryan Sokoloff that the Village was going to get an order requiring Solomon to be returned to work.

Sussman said this is because the way the prior administration terminated the gentleman was “unlawful”.

“Two of the members voted against him, three voted in favor, and he was returned, and a settlement was reached with him  [Solomon],” stated Sussman.

According to Sussman, there was also some back pay involved in that settlement which was reportedly paid by the village’s  insurance company.

“You talk about law and order, the courts are in place to make the determinations as to whether someone is or is not guilty of a crime,” described Sussman. “That’s what the courts are there to do.”

“In this gentleman’s case, there is a decision by an Appellate Court which actually effectively acquitted him. That’s where it stands.”

Because of that, Sussman stated Solomon was illegally terminated, and that’s what the court ruled.

He said that rather recently, Solomon was reportedly charged with several felonies. 

These felonies are related to certain paperwork he filed in which he represented that he had not been convicted of a crime, Sussman said.

In Sussman’s interpretation, under the law, Solomon is not guilty of lying on the paperwork.

“If your conviction is overturned, you can legitimately say you were not convicted of a crime. That’s the law,” said Sussman.

According to Sussman, Solomon is being prosecuted for these felonies. This prosecution is going on in Sullivan County, which will reach a resolution at some point. 

“This Board asked for an opinion as to whether he could be returned so that he was actually doing some work in exchange for money, because there was a need for dispatching services,” explained Sussman. “He was, by this Board’s vote, returned to the dispatching position. You may disagree with the decision, that’s fine. But those are the basic facts.”