Several law enforcement officers, including the first female police chief of Oxford, plan to sue the city of Oxford, current and former city officials over allegations of neglected concerns of “'toxic mold” at the Oxford Police Department, documents show.
Patricia Ford, who stepped down from the Oxford Police Department after 29 years of service in 2025, is one of three plaintiffs in the civil negligence lawsuit. She was the department’s first female captain and first female chief.
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The suit alleges that city officials were aware of "toxic mold" at the Oxford Police Department for roughly 20 years, and that the defendants “repeatedly assured Plaintiffs and others that no mold issue existed or the issues relating to mold had been completely fixed.”
The defendants include current City Manager Brent Taylor, former City Manager Meredith Thornton, former City Manager Steven Harrell, former Public Works Director Kenny Manning, former Public Works Director Stephen Blasko and the city of Oxford itself.
Court records, filed last week in Granville County, claim that several law enforcement officers “repeatedly reported” health issues to city officials in recent years, including: difficulty breathing, coughing and chest tightness.
In one case, the plaintiffs were told by city officials that the alleged mold was “dirt that could be wiped off.”
Plaintiff's attorneys told WRAL Investigates that the lawsuit has not officially been served to the defendants yet, and that it was entered into the state's public filing system because of the statute of limitations surrounding certain dates within the case.
WRAL Investigates asked the following questions to city communications staff and City Manager Brent Taylor:
- Is the city aware of this lawsuit, and the allegations presented?
- Does the city have a response to these claims?
- Did previous city managers and public works staff raise concerns about these issues to the current administration?