GALENA ? Police Chief Cameron Arthur has been fired, ending a tumultuous three-year tenure.

City Manager Jamie Bell did not give a specific reason for firing Arthur on Tuesday, but he said the issue involved was “less than a month old.”

“The actions that I took this morning are based on recent developments, not old developments,” Bell said.

Arthur, who had been police chief since May 2000, was not offered severance pay, said Bell, who named Sgt. Deb Webb interim police chief.

Resident Bob Shryock, one of Arthur’s most outspoken critics, helped organize a petition drive to oust the police chief.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Shryock said. “He did deserve it for quite a while.”

The ouster petition was organized partly in response to the April arrest of Alberto Reyes. During the arrest, police broke Reyes’ arm. His brother alleged that police used excessive force, but Arthur said it was justified because Reyes was resisting arrest on suspicion of drug possession.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation determined the police use of force was justified.

Complaints about Arthur go back more than three years.

In August 2000, resident Sereana Gilmore alleged Arthur punched her in the kidney when responding to a domestic dispute at her home. She was charged in city court with battery.

More recently, resident Joan Whittington filed a complaint with Bell alleging that Arthur entered her home without a search warrant or her consent on Oct. 9, and held her in handcuffs for several hours while a search warrant was obtained. The search ended without any arrest or charges.

Bell said that incident had no connection with Arthur’s firing but the complaint remained active. He said he referred Whittington’s allegation to the KBI.

Galena is in southeast Kansas, just east of Joplin, Mo.