ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas – The City of Poteet could have a temporary fix atop its police department this week while the search for a permanent replacement continues.
Earlier this month, City Administrator Melissa Popham named Rex Newman, Jr. as the interim police chief.
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City council members will decide if they will make Popham’s interim appointment official during a Tuesday evening meeting, according to its publicly available online agenda.
In August, a scathing 29-page external review of the department led city council members to vote to terminate the agency’s police chief, lieutenant and sergeant.
The examination, completed last month by Clear Career Professionals, a Texas-based professional recruitment and services firm, revealed multiple instances of favoritism, resistance to oversight, transparency and an erosion of public trust within the small department.
At the time, Popham said the terminated individuals include Police Chief Bruce Hickman, Lieutenant Noe Rodriguez and an unidentified sergeant.
Popham told KSAT this week that the sergeant has since been identified as Jose Gonzales.
According to the city’s website, Hickman had served as police chief since 2015 and Rodriguez was promoted to lieutenant in 2016.
It is unclear when Gonzales joined the department.
All three officers were handed administrative suspensions, pending the completion of the city’s internal pre-disciplinary review process, Popham said.
The city administrator also clarified this week that Rodriguez was not terminated from his role as lieutenant. Instead, she described his departure as a retirement.
According to previous reporting from the Pleasanton Express, Newman formerly served with the department for seven years before he was voted as Atascosa County’s Precinct 4 Constable. The outlet also said Newman returned to Poteet’s police force in 2022.
In an Oct. 1, 2024, social media post, the department announced the promotions of two officers, including Newman.
Newman was tabbed as a sergeant to lead the patrol division.
The other promoted officer, coincidentally, was Gonzales, who took on the elevated role of sergeant detective.
All three permanent roles — police chief, lieutenant and sergeant — will be open to candidates, according to Popham.
The next city council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, which is located at 491 Avenue H.
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