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Cop accused of toe-sucking quits Central Point officer resigns from force By Chris Bristol CENTRAL POINT � A police officer accused of forcibly attempting to suck the toes of two women in an off-duty disturbance last month has left the force. Central Point Police Chief Mike Sweeny said Officer Kennen "Ken" Marksbury turned in a letter of resignation Tuesday. The move pre-empted internal disciplinary proceedings � but not prosecution. "This halts any further action on our part," Sweeny said Friday. "He still has to deal with the criminal aspect of it." Marksbury remains under investigation stemming from the Memorial Day disturbance, which became the subject of headlines around the region after the Mail Tribune reported the allegations last week. No charges have been filed to date. A prosecutor in Douglas County has said he intends to file a variety of charges, including harassment, offensive physical contact, trespassing and hit-and-run. The prosecutor, Bill Marshall, did not return phone calls Friday seeking an update on the status of the case. Marksbury�s case was assigned to Douglas County because it involves a Jackson County law enforcement official, and such cases are routinely transferred to avoid potential conflicts. A bartender at the downtown Corner Club told police she scared Marksbury off after he followed her into a bathroom at the bar and began demanding that she let him suck her toes. Investigators allege that Marksbury then accosted the lone employee of the nearby Human Bean coffee stand, managing to remove one of the teenager�s sandals and licking or sucking her toes before she began screaming. The attacks were reported only minutes apart. The victims said they had never met Marksbury before and did not know he was a police officer. The hit-and-run allegation stems from reports that Marksbury struck a stop sign while fleeing the scene. He was identified as the suspect after a witness jotted down the license plate of his vehicle. Sweeny said he took no satisfaction in the married officer�s resignation. Marksbury was hired last year, transferring from the police department in Long Beach, Calif. "Obviously I wish that this incident had never happened," he said, "and the department didn�t have to endure the embarrassment of the situation." But in resigning, Sweeny said, Marksbury "did the right thing." No decisions have been made about hiring a replacement. Central Point has 19 sworn officers and seven reserves, plus four clerical employees. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA