BrownwoodNews.com on Monday morning received a correspondence from Chris Heese, Attorney at Law, representing Robert Garcia who, according to Heese, was terminated from his position as Bangs Police Chief on Friday, Dec. 13.

The statement to BrownwoodNews.com by Heese is as follows:

“On December 13, 2024, at 8:56 a.m., Bangs City Manager Erica Berry terminated Chief Robert Garcia. She stated the reason was that her vision and Chief Garcia’s vision for the future of the City was not the same. Also present at the meeting was Brown County Sheriff’s Office Deputy James Stroope, and Brown County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Pete Bastardo.

The termination stems from a dispute with Mayor Steve Whittenburg, in which Mayor Whittenburg disciplined Chief Garcia unfairly, and violated his Due Process and Due Course of Law Rights. A violation of the Chief’s rights were brought to the attention of the Mayor with two formal requests from the Chief’s attorney, but were not responded to.

The termination of Chief Garcia is a retaliatory act for Chief Garcia reporting a violation of the law.”

BrownwoodNews.com reached out to the City of Bangs Monday morning, which offered the following response:

“The City of Bangs does not comment on personnel matters.”

BrownwoodNews.com is attempting to gather more information on the situation.