TALTY, Texas — The Talty City Council voted to terminate the employment of its police chief following his arrest earlier this month.
TALTY, Texas — The Talty City Council voted to terminate the employment of its police chief following his arrest earlier this month.
On Tuesday night, the Talty City Council convened a closed-door executive session to "deliberate the employment evaluation, assignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal" of Police Chief Michael Hoskins, 64.
Upon returning to open session, the council voted to terminate Hoskins' employment.
Earlier this month, Hoskins was charged with two counts of tampering with a government record and one count of abuse of official capacity on charges levied by the Kaufman County Precinct 2 Constable's Office.
The charges stemmed from two separate incidents — one in which Hoskins in alleged to have purchased, with city funds, police department identification for a non-city employee, who was also a friend, to gain access to a police chief conference in Houston in April 2017.
The other charges stem from the sell of a firearm which was seized by the department in a criminal investigation. The firearm was ordered for forfeiture or destruction by a district judge and sold to an individual, a violation of statutes on the destruction or forfeiture of a firearm, according to investigators cited in the affidavit.
Additionally, the receipt furnished to the City of Talty tagged the sale of the firearm at $800 while only $350 was deposited into the city's bank account. Hoskins, upon questioning, later supplied a new receipt for $350.
Following his arrest, Hoskins was placed on paid administrative leave, according to city officials at the time. He posted a $6,500 bond.
In August 2017, Hoskins was placed on a one-year probation with quarterly reviews to "clarify duties, review actions, and monitor improvements."