Texas Rangers investigating Hicks for using city-issued phone to track, record estranged wife • Police: No investigation into Jan. 4 incident in which Hicks's wife alleges he was “acting erratic” waving a gun around her and children The Texas Rangers are assisting the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office in investigating a claim by Council Member Justin Hicks's estranged wife that he used his city-issued electronic devices to track and record his wife and daughters amidst the couple’s marriage woes. Hicks on Saturday announced his resignation from the council after he was confronted with information about the investigation and a censure resolution that the council was set to consider on Wednesday. However, he remains in office until a replacement is elected. Deborah Hicks alleges in her criminal complaint that her estranged husband installed a tracking app on his city-issued mobile phone. She claims the app was used to track her comings and goings. In addition, Hicks told authorities she discovered the city-issued phone hidden in her car and recording conversations between her and her daughters. The phone reportedly had multiple recordings of family conversations, Mrs. Hicks alleged in her criminal complaint. Upon that discovery, she told authorities that multiple phone recordings documented conversations between her and her daughters. Officials did confirm Deborah Hicks filed a formal criminal complaint against her husband that included the allegations of improper use of the city-issued devices. City policy and the law prohibit using taxpayer-funded items for personal or campaign purposes. Texas DPS Media Relations Trooper Sgt. Stephen Woodard confirmed an ongoing investigation but was unable to provide any details Justin Hicks, in a phone interview on Thursday (2/27/2025), claims all allegations made by his wife are lies. “This is a nasty divorce,” Hicks said. “She is not herself right now, and you know, I mean, I think what she's trying to do is grasp at straws.” While not addressing the use of a city phone, Hicks did allude that his wife was accusing him of “tracking her.” Hicks did not reply to more direct questions about the investigation when i45NOW followed up after confirming the details of the allegations. Hicks claimed he was also going to file his police complaint alleging his wife filed a false police report. League City officials said on Monday that no such criminal complaint had been filed. Deborah Hicks, in her first interview since the scandal erupted around her husband, said she stands by her allegations and has proof of what she claims. The allegations were enough that given Hicks’ status as a council member, Police Chief Cliff Woitena asked the DA to investigate two related criminal complaints. District Attorney Jack Roady asked the Rangers to handle the investigation. Such a request from Roady is common for investigations into elected officials. DPS Sgt. Stephen Woodard confirmed the Rangers are investigating. The allegations are in addition to details Mrs. Hicks provided about a police call to the couple’s house in January. She outlined the details in an email sent last week to Police Chief Cliff Woitena. i45NOW obtained a heavily redacted version of the email via an open records request. The city’s attorney, at Justin Hicks’ urging, has sought to block even the most basic information about the Jan. 4 incident as well as police calls on Jan. 5. Deborah Hicks described erratic behavior by her husband in the early morning hours of Jan. 4. She wrote that her husband was enraged in a “multi-hour aggressive tirade,” in which he was brandishing a handgun. “At the time of the call, my two (younger daughters) were hiding in the older girl's closet fearing for my and their lives,” Deborah Hicks wrote in an email to Police Chief Cliff Woitena. “No matter how much I begged Mr. Hicks to just go to sleep to stop scaring the (kids), he would not be pacified and continued to behave dangerously erratic.” During the time, Deborah Hicks claimed her husband threatened to kill himself. He never threatened her or her daughters, she said. Because of the call, police asked for an ambulance to stage for a possible “suicidal patient,” according to a dispatch transmission obtained by i45NOW. When police arrived, Hicks calmed down and “became extremely amicable and even friendly with them,” Deborah Hicks said. She went on to say she was fearful for herself and her children and claimed to have told the responding officers. However, police determined no charges would be filed and are not investigating what happened that early morning. On Monday (3/3/2025), when asked about Mrs. Hicks's more detailed accounting of the January 4 incident, League City Police Department Public Affairs Office Jose Ortega said, “Nothing more has been alleged or brought forth to open an investigation from that day.” Hicks did move out of the house the next day. He was admitted to the hospital soon after for what he claimed was diabetic ketoacidosis, “that almost killed me.” “This is unfortunately not the first incident of a multi-hour aggressive tirade from Mr. Hicks. However, this was the first time he pulled the gun, and the situation has become exponentially worse,” Deborah Hicks wrote in her email to the police chief. “(Justin) Hicks is erratic and very concerning, and I would like to know what are my rights to protect myself and my (children). After Hicks was released from the hospital, Deborah said the couple attempted to reconcile to no avail. She filed for divorce on Feb. 21. In her email Deborah Hicks, who’s been married to Justin for almost 20 years, said she had also reached out to City Manager John Baumgartner and Mayor Pro Tem Tommy Cones. Cones, a Hicks ally who campaigned with and for Hicks in the November election, did not respond to multiple questions asking about Hicks’ situation. Baumgartner could not be reached for comment on Friday. Deborah Hicks also attempted to get law enforcement officers to remove weapons from the house. League City police and Constable Blake Patton confirmed Mrs. Hicks contacted them. Neither had the authority to remove the weapons, and Justin Hicks said he told police he didn’t want guns removed from the house. Since she filed for divorce, Deborah Hicks said her husband removed all the money from the couple’s bank accounts. She claims that as a stay-at-home mother, she has no income. When she filed for divorce, she did so pro-se, meaning she didn’t retain an attorney. Records shows Justin Hicks retained former League City Councilman Keith Gross as his divorce attorney. Deborah Hicks claims as well that Justin Hicks, when removing items from the house, took her items as well, including clothing and pajamas. She said she did change the code on the front door lock and informed her husband of that fact. That led to an incident in which 911 was called because someone kicked in the front door. Police interviewed Hicks, who admitted to being the one who kicked in the door. Again no arrests were made because Justin Hicks didn’t break the law by breaking into his own house. Since then, a Temporary Restraining Order has been submitted to the court. Justin Hicks claims he was the one who sought the TRO.

Posted by i45NOW TJ Aulds at 2025-03-03 19:41:00 UTC