An Odessa Police sergeant who announced his retirement while he was under investigation for an alleged hazing investigation was named the Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace by the Ector County Commissioners Court May 23.
Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett said the commissioners were unaware of the investigation into Sgt. Carlos Chavez’s alleged actions in April, but no action will be taken to rescind the appointment.
“He is going to have to be up for vote in the upcoming primary in that position so we will allow voters to make that determination,” Fawcett said.
According to records received as a result of a Texas Public Information Act request, Chavez was removed from his position as a training sergeant on April 19 so he would not have contact with recruits after hazing allegations were lodged against him by his lieutenant.
Documents state Lt. Caleb Lacey assigned two recruits to help Chavez on April 17-18 with an in-service range day for the department’s patrol division. He said the two recruits would help move barricades, reface targets and perform other duties to help speed things up.
An investigation was launched by OPD’s professional standards unit when one of the recruits told authorities the morning of April 18 his fellow recruit “had been run to the point of exhaustion the previous day, potentially placing him at risk of significant bodily injury,” Lacey wrote in an internal memo to Chief Mike Gerke and Human Resource Director Charles Hurst.
The recruit said he offered to switch from reloading ammunition to replacing targets to provide a break to the other recruit, but Chavez would not allow it, the memo stated.
Lacey wrote in his memo he had specifically instructed Chavez not to punish or force any recruits to perform unnecessary exercises as punishment or discipline and they discussed recent hazing incidents involving Odessa Fire Rescue cadets.
When he asked Chavez about the allegations, Lacey wrote Chavez denied the allegations and claimed the second recruit was being dramatic and couldn’t have seen what was happening.
Lacey put in a request for Hurst’s department to further investigate the allegations and take appropriate action. Hurst replied he thought it best for OPD’s professional standards unit to take on the investigation.
Chavez, who joined the department in September 1988, announced his retirement May 26.
In response to a second TPIA request, the city’s HR department announced Wednesday “no disciplinary measures were taken before Sgt. Chavez’s retirement.”
