Eustace City Council fires police chief

EUSTACE — The Eustace City Council terminated Police Chief Troy Tucker Monday night on a 3-2 vote following extended deliberations in open session before a standing-room-only audience.

The discussion was held in open session at Tucker’s request.

Chuck Powers, Marlin Chambers and Robert Pickle voted in favor of the termination. Chris Wood and H.A. Graves voted no.

Mayor Elicia Sanders did not vote, but told council members she was in favor of termination.

The action came based on three separate incidents which occurred between late November and early January. The incidents — which were not clearly described during the meeting — included situations both in the field and in the office.

One thing that was clear was that the council agonized over the decision. Multiple times, council members talked about struggling with the issue.

“This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life,” said Chambers.

Wood said, “I am absolutely torn in two.”

Sitting on the front row with his attorney, Tucker admitted to making mistake and said he “could have had better judgement.” But he also pointed to all the progress made by the department in the 16 months he’d been chief.

Many in the audience — and council members — agreed with Tucker, saying he had a significant impact on the drug problem in the city.

But some officials, including the mayor, said they felt irreparable damage had been done to the department, and said they believed if Tucker stayed the department’s other two officers would leave.

“What’s the effect on the department with all of this?” Powers asked. “There’s going to be fallout either way.”

Eustace officers Brian Hetzer and M. Trahern attended the meeting, standing in the back, but did not speak and declined to answer questions.

In the end, the three council members who voted to terminate Tucker seemed to believe there was too much damage to the work atmosphere in the police department, and the city would be too susceptible to a possible lawsuit, to bring him back.

Powers said if the council kept Tucker and another incident occurred, the city could be “down and out, and it’s not Beverly Hills, it’s Eustace, Texas.”

The council did not name an interim police chief at the meeting.