TAFT, Tx. — Taft City Secretary Andrea Gomez was arrested Friday and charged with four second-degree felony counts of tampering with a government record with intent to defraud.
As 6 Investigates previously reported, the Taft Police Department began an investigation into overtime hours claimed by employees at City Hall.
That investigation revealed Gomez was paid 522.42 hours of overtime between September 25, 2023, and February 25, 2024. She logged between 15 and 90 hours of overtime every two weeks.
But her hours are contradicted by some posts on social media, which show her attending her kid's sporting events. These posts were deleted after KRIS 6 News began investigating.
Gomez was booked into the San Patricio County Jail and as of Friday morning a bond had not been set.
Meanwhile, Taft Police Chief John Landreth has been suspended without pay for 30 days for speaking with KRIS 6 News.
As 6 Investigates reported, Landreth first notified city officials of his concerns surrounding overtime and asked for help from the Texas Rangers and San Patricio County District Attorney, before asking KRIS 6 News for help.
A suspension letter dated May 16 and signed by City Manager Kandi Hubert states that Landreth appears to have violated the city's public and media relations policy.That letter was given to the chief on Friday.
"It appears, however, that you have knowingly breached this policy by engaging with the media, notably Channel 6, without proper authorization. Your actions have not only caused significant disruption but have also led to reputational damage and upheaval amongst our staff," Hubert writes.
"It is regrettable that despite my confirmation that staff had been authorized to work additional hours, you chose to disregard this information and instead escalated the matter to the media. Your actions not only tarnished the reputation of our dedicated staff but also deprived City Hall of crucial documentation supporting your claims, while also undermining the rights of City Council and those under investigation to provide input," the letter continues.
According to this suspension letter, a third party will conduct an internal investigation.
6 Investigates reached out to Hubert, who refused to comment, and Taft Mayor Leonard Vasquez, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
