The Lufkin Daily News
By VALERIE REDDELL/The Lufkin Daily News
Updated
Groveton City Council has terminated the police chief and a lieutenant — the only other licensed police officer on the staff — during a special meeting Thursday.
Officials were tight-lipped about the action Friday, declining to respond to requests for comment.
A notice was placed on the city’s official website Friday, informing the public that the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office will provide police protection to the city of Groveton until further notice.
“The Groveton Police Department has not been disbanded,” the notice attributed to Mayor Ralph Bennett said. “We are currently going through personnel changes.”
The city serves as the county seat of Trinity County and lies at the intersection of state Highway 94 and U.S. Highway 287, 35 miles southwest of Lufkin.
Justin Cowart has served as the Groveton Police chief for about a year, according to Trinity County Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Richard Steptoe. The city's website lists Kristoffer Acly as a lieutenant with the department.
Steptoe also serves as municipal judge. He told The Lufkin Daily News he had not been briefed about the situation as of Friday.
Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace said he received a request from the city to conduct patrols and respond to requests for assistance. The sheriff said he had not been informed as to why the officers were terminated.
"We're pretty much the primary responding agency," Wallace said. "Things are not going to change much."
“We will continue to take calls when Groveton police officers are not available,” Wallace said.
City council member Autumn Dial informed constituents that she had not been notified of the meeting to consider removing the officers in a public post to her Facebook page.
“I have been called continuously and have had citizens come to my home to ask why these actions occurred. I was not privy to this information,” Dial wrote. “This comes as a shock to me.”
The Groveton Police Department has a budget of $223,327 for the 2023-24 fiscal year. Of that, $114,308 will go to salaries.
Groveton takes in 2.6 square miles of Trinity County and had an estimated population of 913 as of 2021. The population peaked in 1980 with 1,262 residents.