NACOGDOCHES — Former Nacogdoches Police Chief Jim Sevey made more than $18,000 dollars in “questionable” purchases using taxpayer money, leading to his resignation May 25, according to documents provided to The Daily Sentinel.

Despite the accusations of misconduct, Sevey received more than $61,000 in severance pay and $11,000 in insurance benefits.

Documents outlining the allegations against Sevey and details of his separation agreement from the city were provided to The Daily Sentinel by attorney Sean Hightower, who obtained them though a Freedom of Information Act request.

An internal memo from Assistant Chief Dan Taravella accounts for $18,334 in purchases that were either “at a minimum questionable or at most completely unrelated to NPD.”

“It began to appear very clear to me that some of these items were woodworking or hobby related,” Taravella wrote in April to City Manager Mario Canizares.

Some items “could be work related,” Taravella wrote, though none were apparently distributed or shared within the department.

Reasons behind the chief’s departure were not given May 17, when Nacogdoches City Council emerged from a closed session and voted unanimously to move forward with a separation agreement providing six months salary and health benefits.

That agreement was finalized on Wednesday, said Canizares, who declined further comment.

Sevey was placed on administrative leave April 27 and was required to surrender his badge, service weapons and other city-issued equipment.

Sevey, who could not be reached by phone on Friday, stated in a March 11 memo that the items in question were used at the police department.

The probe into Sevey’s purchasing began in June 2021 when a city employee tried to deliver a package to the police department containing a Dewalt 20-volt battery. Sevey told the employee that he ordered the battery to replace one in the criminal investigation division’s toolkit, according to documents.

Assistant Chief Scott Weems noted that the police department has 18-volt tools, and the battery wouldn’t fit, which prompted him and city staff to “start monitoring the accounts more closely.”

The battery never made it into the tool room, according to city documents.

In February, city officials noted several other “questionable purchases,” and documents state Sevey gave conflicting accounts to colleagues and city administrators.

The next month, police began a detailed inventory of the tool room and noticed several items missing, including an angle grinder and a Magswitch — an electromagnetic tool used to hold metal in place.

Sevey was seen on video taking tools to his Tahoe several times during February, according to a report filed by investigators. He was also seen on video removing the Magswitch from his vehicle on March 31, according to documents, but he told Weems that he found it in a closet.

The missing grinder was found in Sevey’s file cabinet on April 6.

“This is suspicious because,” Weems noted in a report, “Chief Sevey had brought it to the station on the 30th and did not offer it to be included in the inventory.”

Documents also note that Sevey charged $587 to his city credit card for oil changes and car washes. Car washes are free at the city garage, and each department is charged $6 for an oil change to cover the cost of a new filer, Taravella wrote.

“All PD employees get their vehicle serviced at the city shop except for Sevey for unknown reasons,” Taravella wrote.

Sevey’s departure from the city without explanation prompted pushback from residents.

“Leadership counts, and we have had an award-winning police department for the last 16 years,” said Kay Butchko, who is among a group of supporters planning a reception for the outgoing chief on Thursday at the Fredonia Hotel.

Sevey, who served as acting city manager in 2020 before Canizares was hired, is first vice president of the Texas Police Chiefs Association.

“He has been an evaluator for other departments, and greatly valued in his role not just here but across Texas,” Butchko said.

Sevey was hired in 2005 and was an ardent supporter of community policing and Neighborhood Watch Programs.