ELLIS COUNTY – A former Cedar Hill police officer, Donald Mercer, turned himself in last week to the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Ellis County after the Texas Rangers filed criminal charges against him.
The Texas Rangers filed criminal charges in Ellis County against Mercer in reference to alleged misconduct with a female suspect during a DWI arrest in August of this year.
Mercer was charged with official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor.
He turned himself into the Ellis County jail according to William Lockridge, Sergeant, Safety Education, Media and Communications, Texas Department of Public Safety.
“It looks like he bonded out yesterday [that same day] on a $100,000 bond.”
Mercer was under investigation for a separate incident in Cedar Hill when the city received the complaint related to the August arrest, according to Cedar Hill Police Department.
He resigned four days later to avoid termination proceedings.
A Cedar Hill PD media release reported, “An internal investigation sustained four policy violations against Mercer, ranging from dereliction of duty to conduct unbecoming an officer.”
Cedar Hill’s Police Chief Ely Reyes said in the initial case, the victim had not brought the complaint forward, but the conduct was uncovered during the interview process which prompted CHPD officers to investigate proactively.
“The Cedar Hill Police Department prides itself on a culture of accountability. We empower our people to report misconduct when they see it and that is exactly what happened in this case,” Reyes said.
“We want to be clear that we hold our officers and department to a high standard of public service and professional conduct that is appropriate, honorable, and ethical.”
Any questions relating to this criminal investigation should be directed to the Texas Rangers or Ellis County District Attorney’s office.
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