JACKSON BOARD REAPPOINTS MCMANAMAN CITY JUDGE

JACKSON -- The Jackson Board of Aldermen unanimously reappointed Kenneth McManaman municipal judge Monday.

McManaman stepped aside from the bench earlier this month pending investigation of a trespassing allegation against him.

Jackson resident Charles Shepard said that on Nov. 3, McManaman came inside the Shepard residence looking for his 15-year-old son, Evan McManaman. Following Shepard's call to 911, which McManaman joined on another phone extension, McManaman left the home and spoke to police outside.

The matter was turned over to Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor Morley Swingle for investigation. Swingle said last week that there wasn't enough evidence against McManaman to file a trespassing charge.

It was up to the Jackson Board of Aldermen to decide whether McManaman should be reappointed to his $750-a-month job as municipal judge. Walter S. Drusch served as judge in the meantime.

Mayor Paul Sander stressed that Monday's decision, reached during a three-hour-long closed meeting, was unanimous and based solely on the evidence presented in the Shepard incident. He said that Swingle's decision not to prosecute weighed heavily on the process.

Both McManaman and Shepard felt their arguments were received well by the board.

"I think they were all very attentive," Shepard said. "They all looked concerned. Like I told them, I wouldn't want to have their jobs for anything."

McManaman said last week he was ready to return to his job with the city. He said Monday he had great respect for the board.

"I trust them to do what is right instead of what is politically correct," he said. "It's tough in these times to do what is right."