Trinity Standard - Local News
Stories Added - February 2010
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Probe begins on theft of city funds
Trinity Standard - January 2010
TRINITY – An apparent suicide attempt by Trinity City Manager Phil Patchett last week kicked off an investigation into the possible theft of city funds and prompted a change in city hall management. Patchett, who has served as the Trinity city manager since 2003, was taken by life flight helicopter to East Texas Medical Center-Tyler on Tuesday, Feb. 16, for treatment of an overdose of prescription pills. Although he was out of the hospital this week, he reportedly was transferred to a rehabilitation center for additional treatment. Patchett was suspended without pay during an emergency meeting of the Trinity City Council on the evening of Feb. 16. On Monday, Feb. 22, the council also approved naming former Trinity City Manager Buddy Drake as the interim replacement for Patchett. The council also ordered a special audit of city funds be made to determine how much money may be missing. The incident began last week when Trinity Police Chief Steven Jones received a telephone call from Patchett shortly before 8 a.m. on Feb. 16. “Phil would often call me in the morning to check on what was going on so I didn’t think anything about it at first,” Jones said. However, Jones said he became alarmed when an emotional Patchett confessed to taking city funds and indicated he did not want to go to jail. The police chief said he became concerned for Patchett’s safety during the call. When the city manager refused to reveal his location, the police chief said he began steps to try and track Patchett down. Jones said he brought in other city employees as well as Mayor Lyle Stubbs to talk to Patchett and keep him on his cell phone. They all attempted, without success, to get the city manager to tell them where he was located. At about 8:20 a.m., Jones said he called out the Trinity Volunteer Fire Department (TVFD) to assist in the search. Also providing manpower for the search was the Riverside Volunteer Fire Department, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Department, Trinity Rural Water Supply Corporation and a number of city employees. Scott Womack of the TVFD located Patchett at about 9:15 a.m. sitting in his personal vehicle in a remote area of the Trinity Cove subdivision. Patchett reportedly was almost unconscious and was unresponsive when found. He was rushed to East Texas Medical Center-Trinity and then taken by air ambulance to Tyler. Jones indicated the road on which Patchett was located was undeveloped with no residences and dead-ended in a heavily wooded area. Patchett was found near the dead end. Stubbs said that based on information obtained from Patchett, it is believed that about $4,000 in city money was taken by the city manager. “We don’t know anything for certain at this point, that’s why we’re having the special audit performed,” the mayor said. The audit will concentrate on the city’s finances starting at Oct. 1, 2009 and continuing forward through Feb. 16. Stubbs noted that the regular audit of the city’s 2009 fiscal year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2008 through Sept. 31, 2009, is scheduled to start in March. “This is a very unfortunate situation,” Stubbs said. “We are going to do everything that we can to determine if money was taken and how and then report back to the citizens. This money belongs to the people of Trinity and they have a right to know what happened.” The mayor said officials believe Patchett may have taken the money because of a gambling problem. Until the matter can be resolved, Patchett will remain on suspension and Drake, who has agreed to return on an interim basis, will manage the day-to-day operation of the city. Drake, a 1955 graduate of Trinity High School, served as the Trinity city manager from 1978-1992. After leaving Trinity, he served as the city manager for the cities of Shenandoah and Atlanta before accepting a post with the City of Gonzales. He retired as city manager there in 2007 after serving for over eight years. Drake currently resides near Huntsville. Jones noted that District Attorney Joe Ned Dean as well as the Texas Rangers have been notified of the possible theft of city funds. He indicated the Rangers were called in because a government official is alleged to be involved. “We can’t proceed with a criminal investigation until we know the extent of the theft so basically, we’re on hold until the audit is completed,” the police chief said. Noting that there have been a lot of rumors and speculation flying around about the incident, Jones asked area residents to withhold judgment until the audit is complete and the facts are known. |
