Alabama police chief suspended after claiming 'silence is consent' in sexual assault cases

An Alabama police chief has been suspended for 15 days over comments he made online where he claimed "silence is consent" in sex abuse cases, and accused Alabama Democratic Senate nominee Doug Jones of sexually assaulting him when he was a Boy Scout.

According to WAAY, Killen police Chief Bryan Hammond has been relieved of his duties by Mayor Tim Tubbs over the comments which he attempted to defend as "sarcasm."

Hammond's made his statements in a comment thread of a TV station Facebook post about Beverly Young Nelson, a woman who accused GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of attempting to rape her when she was 16.

According to the report, Hammond stated "silence is consent' with regard to the attempted rape before later attacking candidate Doug Jones.

"On another note, Doug Jones fondled me on a boy scout camping trip in 1978," Hammond wrote. "I wasn't gonna say anything, but I just couldn't stand the thought of him being a senator. I was ok with it until now. By the way, you can't see me right now but I'm crying as I type this."

The police chief later added a photo of a hand-written yearbook signature that he attributed to Jones, reading: "Bryan, Thanks for the great time camping. Doug Jones."

In an email to WAAY, Hammond apologized to anyone he offended and said his comments were meant as sarcasm.

He added that his comments were intended as criticism of opponents of Moore who have remained silent about other scandals.

Hammond has been working in law enforcement for over two decades, beginning his career in Killen in 1998.