SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. — Less than a month after being appointed as South Haven’s new police chief, Dennis Honholt has resigned from the position. The announcement came Thursday, following revelations that Honholt had failed to fulfill a critical part of his hiring agreement.
Honholt, who was recruited from Tennessee, had previously served as the public safety director in Dover, located northwest of Nashville. He had been hired by South Haven on April 1, with the understanding that he would leave his position in Tennessee and assume the role of police chief in South Haven on an exclusive basis. However, it appears that Honholt did not formally resign from his post in Dover at the time he began his new job.
According to South Haven city manager Kate Hosier, city leaders were “shocked and disappointed” when they learned that Honholt had not resigned from his position in Tennessee. “We had a clear agreement that he would step down before starting with us, and his failure to do so raised serious concerns,” Hosier said in a statement issued Thursday.
In their announcement, city officials clarified that Honholt had agreed to resign from his position in Tennessee as part of the terms of his employment with South Haven. “When Honholt was hired on April 1, it was with the explicit understanding that serving as our police chief would be his exclusive employment,” Hosier explained. “We accept his resignation.”
The situation came to light after the Stewart County Standard, a local newspaper in Dover, reached out to Honholt for comment. When questioned about holding two positions simultaneously, Honholt refused to explain further, stating, “Well, I don’t have to explain anything and I’m not going to. I’ve already said that I’m going to make a statement.”
As of Thursday, Honholt’s name still appeared on Dover’s official website, listed as the city’s police chief. It remains unclear whether the resignation process in Tennessee has been finalized.
This marks another challenge for South Haven’s police department, which is now on the hunt for its third police chief in the same calendar year. The city will need to move quickly to stabilize its leadership and ensure continued law enforcement operations.
Honholt’s resignation leaves South Haven in a difficult position, with city officials now tasked with finding a permanent replacement. The department’s leadership instability is expected to be a priority for the city in the coming weeks.
