BOSQUE COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — The former police chief of Valley Mills and a former officer were indicted on a new charge by the City of Godley on Oct. 1. They turned themselves in to Bosque County on Oct. 8.
- Matthew Cantrell, the former police chief of Valley Mills, and former officer Solomon Omotoya were indicted on a new charge.
- Cantrell and Omotoya turned themselves in and have since bonded out.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A few days ago, the city of Godley took to social media to inform the public of the recent indictment of Matthew Cantrell, former police chief of Valley Mills, and Solomon Omotoya, a former police officer.
According to the post, Cantrell was charged with one count of violating motor fuel tax requirements, while Omotoya was charged with four separate counts, including a new charge of violating motor fuel tax requirements.
Our 25News crew sat down with Omotoya’s legal attorney about his most recent charge.
"This is a complete surprise to us. We obviously knew about the Bosque County investigation and the arrest associated with it back in February," Lannen said.
We've been following this story for months. If you recall, Cantrell and Omotoya worked shortly for the Valley Mills Police Department before being charged with abuse of official capacity and other charges.
Before being hired for the Valley Mills Police Department, Cantrell and Omotoya worked for the City of Godley Police Department.
Indictment charges stem from the alleged unauthorized use of fleet fuel credit cards while working for the Godley Police Department.
Cantrell and Omotoya had a warrant for their arrest and turned themselves in to Bosque County on Wednesday.
Lannen said Omotoya was also taken aback by the recent incidents.
“His shoulders are quite heavy at the moment. He was very upset. He understood that something was likely to happen at some point. But to be hit with the idea that you’ve got a four-count indictment when we didn’t know there were four counts being even being looked at, and we don’t know what constitutes each of those," Lannen said.
Bosque County Sheriff Trace Hendrick took to social media and said in part quote:
"My investigators and I were in a position in which we had to maintain silence due to a continuing investigation from the ranger in Johnson County, as well as an open investigation being conducted by the FBI. “
Lannen said her client has cooperated throughout the length of the investigation and isn’t the person some may think he is.
“He’s genuinely a good guy, and I’m upset that all of this is happening," Lannen said.
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