By James Windell
Sgt. Pat Carlotto, who had served as interim police chief for the South Haven Police Department in both 2024 and 2025, has sued the City of South Haven because he was not selected for the position of Police Chief.
The case Pat Carlotto v. City of South Haven (Case No. 1:25-cv-01557) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on November 24, 2025, although it was only on December 5 that it came to light.
The lawsuit is a civil rights and employment discrimination complaint that alleges that Carlotto was a target of retaliation and discriminatory treatment by being passed over for the permanent position of chief.
Carlotto, a 25-year veteran of the South Haven Police Department, was appointed interim police chief after Chief Natalie Thompson retired in September 2024. He held the role until Kevin Swope was hired in January 2025. After Chief Swope resigned just one month into his tenure, Carlotto was again named interim chief. He stepped in to lead the department while the city resumed its search for a permanent replacement. He served in that role until Dennis Honholt began serving as Chief on April 1, 2025. Honholt resigned a month later, but no interim police chief was named immediately. Sgt. Adam DeBoer was appointed interim chief near the end of April 2025 and was in that position until recently being promoted to Chief.
Carlotto contends in his suit that in 2022 he was a witness in a discrimination lawsuit filed by Officer Michaela Pauly against the City and the police chief Natalie Thompson. That case was settled later that year. Because Carlotto supported Pauly’s case, he indicates that city officials later retaliated against him. Specifically, he alleges that during the 2025 police chief search the City told him he would not be hired due to “trust issues” and “too much baggage.”
In the suit, he argues that being labeled as having “trust issues” and “too much baggage” was not a legitimate reason to deny him the chief role, but rather a pretext tied to his prior testimony.
The suit states that Carlotto had qualifications, credentials, and experience that far exceeded those of the persons the City ended up hiring as its chief of police. Furthermore, it is stated that the City refused to permanently appoint Carlotto to the chief of police position “despite his vastly superior qualifications, credentials, and experience.”
Since the suit is filed under federal civil rights employment law, the complaint asserts that the city’s actions violated his rights to fair employment practices.
In Pat Carlotto v. City of South Haven, Carlotto is asking for payment for lost wages, benefits, and emotional distress tied to being denied the chief position. In addition, he seeks to penalize the city for alleged retaliation and deter similar conduct in the future, and he is asking the court to order the city to install him as permanent police chief or provide equivalent reinstatement.
As reported elsewhere, a statement from the City said that officials don’t comment on pending litigation. City Manager Kate Hosier told the media on December 5 that the City has yet to receive the lawsuit.
