A recently fired Wright City police detective is suing the city government, along with Police Chief Tom Canavan and Lt. Timothy Matthews, for alleged harassment and wrongful termination.

The lawsuit was filed last week in Warren County Circuit Court by an attorney for former detective Chris Beard, who was terminated in October. It alleges that Beard was the subject of unprofessional and disparaging remarks by Chief Canavan, that a review of Beard’s professional performance was full of “misleading or outright false” statements, and that his firing violated state laws protecting public employees.

Beard’s complaint begins with an incident in 2019 when Canavan was a lieutenant for the police department. After learning of a threat to the police, Beard reportedly advocated for use of sturdier protective vests. According to the lawsuit, Canavan allegedly responded by writing Beard’s name on a 30-caliber bullet and presented it to him, stating “that will go through that vest.”

In 2022, Canavan was promoted to chief and needed to hire a lieutenant. Beard and another internal officer applied, but Timothy Matthews, a former Wright City officer who had left for a different department, was hired instead. Upon the selection, the lawsuit alleges that Canavan brought both internal candidates into his office and made a disparaging statement that included a curse word.

In addition to those incidents, Beard’s lawsuit includes a number of text messages that he claims were sent by Chief...

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