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Mooresville Police Chief Damon Williams said Wednesday night he is assisting the small-town police force where he once served as chief while he remains on paid administrative leave from the Mooresville Police Department.

And that’s no secret, he said.

“This was not done underhandedly,” Williams said. “This was done to be a help.”

Mooresville Acting Town Manager Ryan Rase placed Williams on paid administrative leave in June after a third-party agency began an investigation into an alleged hostile work environment at the police department.

Williams, who joined the Taylortown Police Department in 2005 and served as its chief from 2007-10, said he knew the department’s current police chief, an old friend, was leaving his position. When the department asked Williams to volunteer his help through the transition and offer his insight and leadership to the three full-time officers on the force, Williams gladly agreed.

“I’ve been police chief a long time and when someone calls and says I need help, I’m going to do the best I can to help them,” Williams said, explaining he is not a sworn officer at Taylortown. His work is strictly volunteer, he said.