HONOLULU (KHON2) — Maui Police Chief, John Pelletier, will stay on the job without an investigation despite a civil lawsuit claiming he worked for jailed rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs while serving as a Las Vegas police captain.

In early March, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen asked the commission to sideline the chief to look at a lawsuit that hasn’t even been served on the chief and is in clerical limbo for filing errors.

The commission came down heavily on the Mayor for jumping the gun and said they won’t do his bidding.

The Chief produced pages of receipts and alibis, saying that he was nowhere near the alleged incidents.

NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. and comedian “Drewski” were also named in the slew of civil lawsuits. Both said the allegations were false and fabricated.

But Mayor Bissn asked the police commission in writing to put Pelletier on leave and investigate.

“I got a call from the mayor urging me to put him on leave. Very disappointed because that call should’ve come from Stacey Moniz,” said Bill Richardson, Maui Police Commission.

“I think the administration’s actions are a little concerning. I do find the mayor to be a man of integrity and he’s trying to do his job as well as he seems fit, but this was a major miscalculation on his part,” said Frank Derego, Maui Police Commission.

The police union SHOPO supported the mayor’s call. Public testimony against leave and investigation was overwhelmingly in Pelletier’s favor.

One testifier called it a punishment.

“Look at how much publicity has been generated against the Chief of Police. I mean honestly, this appears to be slander and not much more,” said Moana Lutey.

Maui County declined to provide a county attorney to Pelletier, so he hired one personally.

“At this stage, it has as much legal weight as a blog post or a TikTok video. Seriously, now I know what the concern is and I know what the concern is that when there’s smoke, there’s fire and these claims are sensational, but there’s not even smoke here,” said Keola Whittaker, Pelletier’s attorney.

The commission voted 7-0 with one excused to write a letter telling the mayor they are not proceeding as he requested.

While I respect the commission’s right to disagree, a leave of absence in such cases does not imply an admission of guilt but is a necessary step to protect the department’s reputation, effectiveness and public trust

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen in a statement

In a statement, SHOPO added that the commission’s actions help clarify if an officer faces unproven allegations and they will not face professional consequences by being placed on administrative leave.

“The vote today is resounding and says it all. I’d like to point out that I have two small children and nobody’s apologized to them. My wife, this police department for the pain that this has caused,” said Pelletier.

The chief and his counsel said he would initiate an investigation if a suit is legitimately filed, accepted by the court and served.