League City police chief accuses Hicks of making demands that “violate the law” * Hicks declared a “suspect” after wife made calls to police accusing her estranged husband of harassment Council member Justin Hicks finds himself accused by the city’s police chief of using his position on the city council in an attempt to gain access to police records after police were called to his family home 3 times since Jan. 20. The chief’s allegations were outlined in an email to City Manager John Baumgartner sent Monday (2/24/2025). A copy of the email was provided to every council member just before Tuesday’s council meeting. Chief Cliff Woitena said Hicks called and asked that the chief provide the council member with copies of police reports about two calls Hicks’ estranged wife made to police in which “(The council member) was identified as the suspect.” The chief confirmed in the email that Deborah Hicks Woitena said he informed Hicks that because the council member was identified as a suspect in those calls, he would have to seek the documents through an open records request. According to Woitena, Hicks said he didn’t want to put anything in writing and asked for a one-on-one with the chief. The chief said Hicks claimed his wife may make false claims against the council member because the couple was separated, and she filed for a divorce. According to Woitena’s email, Hicks then insisted that “In my capacity as Chief of Police, I disregard her inquiries and remain uninvolved in their personal matters.” Woitena rejected that assertion. “I clarified that neither I nor the agency had an interest in his personal life or civil matters,” Woitena wrote. “However, I emphasized that if his wife contacted me with any credible allegations of a criminal nature, it would be my duty to initiate an investigation, treating her as any other citizen in need of police services. “He seemed frustrated with my response. In light of these events, it is my belief that Councilman Hicks assumed his status as an elected official entitled him to make demands of the police department that could compromise the integrity of ongoing investigations as well as the public trust in the organization,” Woitena wrote. The chief indicated as well that another member of his staff was present when Hicks made the demands the chief look away. While the chief noted Hicks was “visibly upset,” the discussion ended there. Or so the chief thought. The police department’s records supervisor informed the chief that Hicks contacted her staff and made a similar request. When told he would have to file an open records request, the records staff said Hicks indicated he is a council member and didn’t want to submit anything in writing. i45NOW was able to confirm that police were called to the Hicks’ residence in the 2100 block of Cherry Hills Drive once on Thursday (2/20/2025) and then twice on Saturday (2/22/2025). The Saturday calls were each accusation from Deborah Hicks that her estranged husband was harassing her. No arrests were made, police records show. The harassment came a day after Mrs. Hicks filed for divorce, Galveston County court records show. The Feb. 20 call was initially reported as a burglary after Deborah Hicks came home and found locks were broken. According to police Mrs. Hicks had replaced the locks at the house. Police said Justin Hicks later confirmed he was the one who busted the locks.

Posted by i45NOW TJ Aulds at 2025-02-26 00:31:03 UTC