GUYTON -- After one hour of testimony and slightly more than an hour of deliberation Tuesday night, the Guyton City Council voted 3-0 to overturn Mayor Jeff Lariscy's recent demotion of Joseph Coppola of the Guyton Police Department.

Thanks to the votes of Council Members Joseph Lee, Michael Johnson and Dr. Franklin Goldwire in the Leisure Services Room, Coppola will return to his post as interim police chief. Lariscy didn't have a vote on the matter -- he was a witness -- and Council Member Steve Collins didn't return to the public hearing after the deliberations.

In addition to a few instances of alleged insubordination, Mayor Jeff Lariscy said he demoted Coppola as interim police chief after a Guyton couple complained that he didn't write an accurate report about a break-in at their house. The homeowners didn't testify but audio from Coppola's body camera revealed that he promised to itemize the damage to their property. 

Coppola didn't do so, however. He also declined Lariscy's request to see the body camera footage, instead turning it over to the Effingham County Sheriff's Office. 

Lariscy also said Coppola's report failed to mention a small amount of possible drugs being discovered at the scene,  Coppola was heard on he body cam footage referencing "weed" and "a blunt." There were also two mentions of "roaches."

Coppola's attorney, William Claiborne, said it would have been unfair to the two suspects in the case -- an adult and a minor --  to list the potential drug discovery without knowing for sure that the substance was illegal.  

Claiborne also said prosecutors could use the body cam footage to assess the damage for restitution purposes and that including it on the report wasn't necessary.

"Interim Chief Coppola is relieved and gratified by the decision made by the Guyton City Council tonight," Claiborne said. "He looks forward to getting back to work (Wednesday) and every day going forward representing the best interests of the citizens of Guyton."

Coppola didn't testify. Claiborne rested his case after reciting the names of several witnesses he believed should have attended the hearing and didn't, including the homeowners.

See the Sept. 4 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.