Lawsuit: Police chief groped officer days before suicide

ROLESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A former police officer says a North Carolina town’s police chief touched him inappropriately days before he died by suicide.

The News & Observer reports Nicholas Zappia sued the town of Rolesville on Monday, seeking unspecified damages.

The lawsuit says Police Chief Bobby Langston II arranged to lift a hiring freeze so Zappia could become an officer in August 2016.

The two attended training in Charlotte in March 2017 and shared a hotel room, per town policy. Zappia says Langston groped him, apologizing the next morning.

Zappia returned to Rolesville to resign and filed a written complaint. Langston was found dead of what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound later that month.

Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles referred the newspaper’s questions to Town Attorney David York, who couldn’t be reached.