FAIR OAKS RANCH, Texas – The chief of the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department has formally stepped down from his position, officials have confirmed.
In an announcement posted to the city’s website and social media late last week, officials thanked Chief Tim Moring for his nearly two decades of service to the department.
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The retirement of Moring comes amid an ongoing lawsuit filed against the city by a former officer earlier this year.
Lacey Gonzalez, a six-year veteran of Fair Oaks Ranch PD who was terminated in early October after detailing a number of complaints against Moring, sued the city in January in Bexar County District Court under the Texas Whistleblower Act.
The 20-page lawsuit, which noted that Gonzalez has exhausted her appeals for reinstatement to the department, largely mirrored a 14-page internal complaint she filed against Moring last summer.
Among the suit’s accusations against Moring:
- Pointed a loaded firearm at another officer
- Openly distributed Adderall, a Schedule II prescription drug, to several officers
- Abused Adderall himself and, as a result, exhibited erratic behavioral patterns that made him unapproachable and unstable in the workplace
- Consistently retaliated against any officers who formally complained about a particular supervising officer’s objectionable conduct
- Influenced other officers to cover up his own tracks during an investigation into Moring’s conduct
Moring was placed on paid administrative leave after Gonzalez filed her internal complaint last summer.
He was reinstated to his command post in October, after an outside investigation determined the allegations against Moring were unfounded or not sustained.
Gonzalez was terminated four days prior to Moring’s reinstatement.
Gonzalez’s legal filing was the latest filing that called into question the actions of Moring, who led the small department located northwest of San Antonio since 2020.
Ex-Investigator Richard Davila filed suit against Fair Oaks Ranch in 2021, claiming he was wrongfully terminated.
That case included details from a July 2020 incident in which Davila said Moring and a sergeant entered the property room without proper authority. Moring then disposed of evidence using a court order from a previous year, the lawsuit stated.
Following the incident, Davila was removed from being in charge of the property room, his investigation files were transferred and he was reassigned to city hall, before being terminated, according to the suit.
The city and Davila settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money earlier this year, court records show.
Todd Smith, a former assistant chief with the Austin Police Department, has been named interim chief of Fair Oaks Ranch PD, effective Monday, officials confirmed.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.