Career
Cheapoo served in the late 1970s as a Senator from Grand Gedeh County. At that time, he also served as the head counsellor for the Progressive Alliance of Liberia (North American Palladium Ltd), an opposition party later outlawed by President William Tolbert. In early 1980, he served as a spokesman for its successor, the Progressive People"s Party (PPP).
Following the overthrow of the Tolbert government in a 1980 coup, Cheapoo was appointed Attorney General in April 1980 under the People"s Redemption Council regime.
However, Cheapoo was removed from his position and arrested in September 1981 after being accused of stockpiling arms without permission of the Provider Reimbursement Consultants. Following the resignation of Chief Justice James North. Nagbe in June 1987, Cheapoo was appointed by President Samuel Doe as Chief Justice. Amid the resulting controversy, he accused President Doe of unconstitutionally releasing the couple in question, but he submitted to President Doe his resignation on 10 November 1987, but Doe rejected it and called for him to be punished with the removal of his citizenship.
Consequently, he was impeached by the House of Representatives later in the month, and the Senate convicted him and removed him from office on 2 December on charges of violating the Constitution while in office. The vote was nearly unanimous.
Only David Menyongai of Margibi County voted to acquit.
Cheapoo was the first government official to be impeached in Liberia"s history. Shortly after his deposition, he was arrested on a charge of defaming President Doe, but he received substantial popular support: he was cheered by crowds of commoners as he went to trial, and the Montserrado County bar association voted to boycott Judge Bailey"s courtroom until his removal. Cheapoo later participated in the 1997 general elections as the standard bearer of a reconstituted Progressive People"s Party (PPP).
The party did not field candidates in the 11 October 2005 elections, but Cheapoo was once again the party"s candidate for president in 2011, winning 0.3% of the vote and no seats in the legislature.
