A Texas city has been left without a police force as the last remaining cop was fired during the community’s first council meeting since the arrest of its mayor, according to local reports.
Lieutenant Eric Tuma was terminated from the Hawkins Police Department Monday on grounds of “dereliction of sworn duties” and “abandonment of post” in a split 3-2 Hawkins City Council vote that was celebrated by controversial Mayor Deborah Lynn Rushing, the reports said.
“We are excited to write policies and pass policies that follow the law of the state of Texas and that everyone has to go by that law,” Rushing said, according to KETK.
This was the first city council meeting since May when Rushing was arrested and booked on tampering with government records charges for allegedly secretly recording conversations with city officials and not making them available to the public, KLTV reported.
Rushing allegedly secretly recorded several council members during a meet and greet for Hawkins City Council candidates on April 24, the outlet reported.
In one of those conversations, she purportedly took credit for the layoffs in the Hawkins Police Department that occurred in February — controversially leaving Tuma as the last man holding the thin blue line, KLTV reported.
The mayor allegedly shared those recorded conversations with Hawkins-local internet troll Matthew Todd Eddington, 51, who has also been arrested in connection to the case.
Eddington has “a long-standing history of creating derogatory and hateful social media posts about members of the Hawkins City Council,” KTLV reported, citing court documents.
Both are under investigation by the Texas Rangers, local outlets reported
In February, Rushing revoked three HPD badges citing improper hiring practices and the failure of the previous police chief to get the approval of the city council, KETK reported.
Those officers were hired by former police chief Paul Holland who resigned on Jan. 25 shortly after Rushing attempted to disband the police department in a city council meeting, local outlet reported.
That extreme measure was voted down 4-1, KETK reported.
Monday’s vote shocked some members of the council and Hawkins residents.
“There’s nothing in our packet for what he did wrong,” Councilmember Eric Maloy, who voted against the termination, told KLTV regarding Tuma.
“I just asked tonight during the meeting, where is the paperwork for him being written up.”
“I’m very distraught and can’t believe it,” Maloy told KETK.
Tuma had recently taken time off for a family emergency, but had notified both the city and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, Maloy shared with the outlets.
“It’s a travesty, it’s a joke,” Hawkins resident Amy Pack said, storming out of the council meeting, according to KTLV.
“I’m not gonna call 911, I’m gonna protect my home and take matters into my own hands,” Pack said.
