Wilmer holds first city council meeting since arrests of two city officials
Wilmer holds first meeting since city leaders' arrests
Wilmer held a city council meeting on Thursday, the first since two city officials were arrested. FOX 4's Peyton Yager has more on the meeting and the ongoing investigation into the Wilmer Police Department.
WILMER, Texas - For the first time since two city officials were arrested, the people of Wilmer were able to speak their minds about the recent city's controversies at a city council meeting on Thursday night.
Wilmer City Council meeting
What we know:
Wilmer held its first city council meeting since the arrests of City Councilman Moses Garcia and acting Police Chief Jesus Mancillas.
Garcia and Mancillas were arrested on July 27. Garcia was charged with making a terroristic threat after a July 22 confrontation at a gas station, and Mancillas was charged with interfering with the investigation into Garcia.
No mention of either official's arrest was made during the meeting. Garcia attended the meeting virtually, per the conditions of his bond following his July arrest.
Moses Garcia attends meeting remotely
Hours before the meeting began, Wilmer City Attorney Michael Halla resigned from his job. No reason was given for his resignation.
Several former Wilmer city officials showed up to the meeting, including former Wilmer Mayor Sheila Petta, who resigned abruptly in July. Two other former Wilmer Mayors were in attendance.
The city's longtime former Police Chief, Victor Kemp, was also in attendance.
Two items were removed from the meeting's agenda: bringing in a third-party to investigate issues in multiple city departments, and hiring the same law firm currently representing Garcia to represent the city.
It's unknown if either items were discussed during executive session.
What they're saying:
Those who spoke during the public comment admonished Wilmer city leadership.
"To every member of the council who enable supported or stayed silent through all of it. I call on you to resign," Jeff Steele, a former Wilmer Mayor, said.
"You have to be careful of firing everyone at one time because there are things you don’t know. And you don’t know," Emmanuel Wealthy, another former Wilmer Mayor, said.
"There is a fine line that needs to be drawn on intimidation and corruption and racism and things that we are going through as a people in 2026," another commenter said.
"That in no way says community and people, and that I'm here to serve."
Dig deeper:
Mancillas had been brought to Wilmer as acting Police Chief to oversee a separate issue within the Wilmer Police Department, which involves a letter sent to Wilmer by the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT).
CLEAT's letter says Wilmer Police Lieutenant John Rhodes reached out to the Texas Rangers about allegations against a Wilmer Police captain and other city officials.
The letter alleges after Rhodes informed the Wilmer City Administrator about the allegations, Garcia angrily called him about involving the Rangers. The accused captain also drafted a letter to have Rhodes fired.
CLEAT is now representing Rhodes in any potential litigation between him and Wilmer. The CLEAT letter was not discussed during Thursday's Wilmer City Council meeting.
Wilmer city officials arrested
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Video shows Wilmer official's gas station confrontation
FOX 4 obtained surveillance footage of Wilmer City Councilman Moses Garcia's confrontation with a man at a Shell gas station where he claimed responsibility for firings across the city. FOX 4's Peyton Yager has more.
The backstory:
Garcia's July 27 arrest stems from a July 22 confrontation at a Shell gas station.
Surveillance video from the Shell station shows Garcia telling Rickey Jackson he's responsible for removing Wilmer's police chief, mayor, and other personnel from their offices.
Moses Garcia, 53
Garcia is also alleged to have used a racial slur towards Jackson, a Black man, during the confrontation. Garcia and his lawyer have denied the accusations.
Mancillas is accused of interfering in the investigation into Garcia's actions.
Jesus Mancillas, 58
Mancillas allegedly tried to take control of the surveillance video of Garcia's confrontation with Jackson during the Wilmer Police Department's investigation.
However, Mancillas was only acting in an administrative role as interim police chief, and not as a Texas Peace Officer.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the City of Wilmer and previous FOX 4 reporting.