Greece, N.Y. -- Merritt Rahn has agreed to resign as chief of the Greece Police Department.
The Greece Town Board voted unanimously in a special meeting Friday to approve the agreement, which is effective as of Friday.
The agreement was reached before Rahn faced a public disciplinary hearing that was scheduled for next week.
The embattled former police chief was indicted on numerous charges, mostly felonies, on Tuesday, including of hindering of a prosecution, tampering with public records, falsifying business records, and offering a false instrument for filing.
He faces 12 charges in all, involving providing false information in the hit-and-run case of former Greece police officer Nick Joseph, falsifying the background check of former officer Gary Pignato, as well as the theft of Rahn’s service revolver dating back to 2000.
Rahn pleaded not guilty to all the charges. A trial date for his first indictment has been set for March 29.
Town officals called the resignation the best possible outcome, saving taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars that would have been spent on a public hearing, and helping the police department move on.
Rahn waived the hearing and released his claims on sick leave, back pay, and health insurance for a $10,000 payout, a fraction of what would have been owed.
The Town of Greece will now begin looking for a replacement, but there is not timetable for when the process will begin.
