Wortham City Council scrambled to reorganize the city’s police force in the wake of longtime Chief of Police Kelly Butler’s sudden retirement and departure Aug. 7.
Another police officer, Dylan Thompson, resigned. The Freestone County Sheriff’s Department reportedly is assisting the city’s police force since the two departures. Two police officers wearing Richland police uniforms attended the meeting, along with two Wortham police officers in uniform.
About 50 residents attended the special meeting Monday, Aug. 12, with several addressing the council during the special meeting with concerns about how it had handled a recent complaint against the police chief. One resident, Traci Cromwell, accused the council of having violated the state’s open meetings regulations by voting during a closed session July 23 to discipline Butler News has requested a copy of the improvement plan through a Freedom of Information Act request.
