MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The Patton Village Police Department has had 25% of its force gone in the past two months. ABC13 learned the information after the arrest of a Patton Village police sergeant over the weekend.
Eyewitness News learned Sgt. Christopher Bush is the third officer to lose his job at this small department in the last two months. All of the now-former officers were accused of some kind of improper behavior.
READ MORE: Patton Village cop recently arrested for DWI was fired over 2018 post suggesting hunting of migrants
Patton Village is a small community of just 1,600 people in Montgomery County.
The police department is in the heart of town. This week, it’s making headlines after Bush was arrested and charged for DWI.
“All you can do is hold your phone to your ear and just kind of put your face into the pillow, and, ‘Oh, God. What now?’ It was heart-wrenching,” Patton Village PD Chief Chris Hernandez said.
Hernandez confirmed that Bush resigned from his role at the police department on Tuesday morning.
But now, some are wondering why he was hired onto the force to begin with in 2019, one year after he was fired from his role as a firefighter in Bellaire and Westfield for making a social media post suggesting migrants should be hunted at the southern border.
“People are saying, ‘Oh, they must have thought it was a joke. Why didn’t they do a background (check)?’ Well, the previous administration knew about it when they hired him in April 2019,” Hernandez said.
The latest arrest is only one layer, 13 Investigates found two other officers were let go at this 13-person department in the last two months. The chief told Eyewitness News one was a warrants sergeant let go after being accused of an administrative conduct issue.
According to officials, the now-former sergeant was the longest-tenured employee of the city.
“We can only give them the tools. They have to use them. We don’t tolerate that in the aspect that they’re no longer a part of the city,” Patton Village Mayor Scott Anderson said.
13 Investigates found the other officer was let go in August.
Harris County court records show former Patton Village officer Carlos Molina Torres is accused of impersonating a Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy while giving an eviction notice in 2022, among other charges.
“Just because an individual makes a mistake and they’re an officer doesn’t mean every single one of us is like that,” Hernandez said.
“We are trying to bring that integrity back. We’re trying to do our best to make sure the citizens here feel safe,” Anderson said.
This force is hurting after losing three of their own, and recruitment is now at the top of their minds.
“I would much rather work short-handed and have good guys on the streets than just hire anybody on the street just to fill the position,” Hernandez said.
As for the most recent case, Patton Village city council is meeting on Thursday and is set to discuss the acceptance of Bush’s resignation.
For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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