Hockley County Sheriff Removed From Office
By: Allison Morrison
Updated: August 13, 2009
Hockley County Sheriff David Kinney is removed from office Thursday.
Assisted by the U.S. Attorney's office, Hockley County Attorney Christopher Dennis filed a civil lawsuit against Sheriff David Kinney for alleged corrupt practice, that Dennis claims has spanned for, at minimum, several months.
Chapter 87 of the Texas Local Government Code allows the County Attorney to remove an elected official for misconduct or incompetence.
"The suit that I filed is a civil suit and is civil removal in nature, so there's no criminal charges," Dennis says.
A Lubbock County judge signed the petition Thursday, effectively removing Kinney from office and placing a temporary restraining order against him.
The court documents go on to appoint Kevin Davis as interim Sheriff.
"Whether this assignment of mine is lenghty, or is short, I pledge my full effort at making this office one that we can all be proud of for years to come," Davis says.
The petition states several facts for Kinney's removal, including incompetence for hiring and supervising Sheriff's Office employees.
