WILMER – A Wilmer City Council member and the city’s acting Police Chief were arrested last weekend with what began as a verbal dispute on July 22, between newly elected Council member Moses Garcia, 53, and a man Garcia said was a friend.
Garcia was charged with making a terroristic threat, a Class B misdemeanor under Texas law.
His charges stemmed from allegations that he verbally threatened a customer with physical harm and used a racial slur during a confrontation at a local Shell gas station.
According to the affidavit, Garcia also took responsibility for “removing the city’s police chief, mayor, and other city personnel,” and then continued to make statements about his authority within the city.
That same evening Jesus Mancillas, 57, the appointed acting Police Chief was also arrested on charges of interference with public duties.
This charge is also a Class B misdemeanor under Texas law and came from allegations that he bypassed standard department protocol by stepping in to take custody of the surveillance footage saying he would oversee the case.
Both arrests appear to be part of misunderstandings regarding authority and standard procedure rather than intentional wrongdoing, and Wilmer Interim City Administrator Frank Posada said, “At this time, the circumstances surrounding the arrest are the subject of an active investigation.
“Because this is an ongoing legal matter, it would be inappropriate for the City to speculate or comment further on the facts until the appropriate authorities have completed their work.” Posada stateted released by the city, “Last week, I appointed Mr. Mancillas to serve as acting Police Chief to provide leadership and operational oversight of the Police Department during an ongoing administrative matter involving the Police Captain.
“The appointment was made to ensure continuity of operations while the department addressed internal issues and an active administrative investigation.”
Posada expressed surprise regarding the sudden arrests and said he had not been informed prior to the action.
He indicated local leadership will continue to cooperate fully with outside authorities to clarify the events and ensure transparency.
Wilmer has recently seen not only an extraordinary industrial and population boom, but severe growing pains and leadership issues at City Hall Former Mayor Sheila Petta resigned last month due to health reasons, and in early June longtime Police Chief Victor Kemp resigned and on that same night the City Council terminated City Administrator Steve Norwood.
With these changes, the leadership turnover at City Hall has temporarily fractured Wilmer’s municipal government and left the community unsettled.
However, some in the community were already unsettled at the fast transitions Wilmer was experiencing as the area’s industrial powerhouse.
Now with the fast-moving sequence of forced ousters, sudden resignations, and high-profile arrests, Wilmer’s rough patch is headed for a massive structural rebuild that could see a total shift in how city leaders handle both local growth and public accountability.