By Moses Leos III
Following allegations by his political opponent of conspiracy and a cover up to a 2014 case, Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler announced last week that the matter was handled properly.
And the former Hays County district attorney concurs with Cutler’s statement.
In a Jan. 22 emailed response to the Hays Free Press, Cutler said the case, which was referenced by Tommy Ratliff during a press conference two weeks ago, was reviewed internally by the Sheriff’s Office. He also said the case was forwarded to the Hays County District Attorney’s Office.
“The District Attorney at the time, Sherri Tibbe, concurred that the matter should be closed,” Cutler said in the emailed response.
Cutler added in his email that the Texas Rangers conducted their own independent review and “came to the same conclusion.”
“The notion that there was any impropriety in how it was handled, or that there are any remaining issues, is simply false,” Cutler said.
His response came after Tommy Ratliff, who is running against Cutler in the March primary, alleged a conspiracy and a cover-up to a 2014 case involving former internal affairs officer Bruce Boardman and his family.
Former Hays County district attorney Sherri Tibbe said she remembers investigators from the Sheriff’s Office bringing the case to her.
She said the case didn’t rise to the level of a criminal offense and was dropped.
“It was a normal case, except it was more concerning because it did involve an employee,” Tibbe said. “It wasn’t ignored.”
Political insiders from both sides are talking up the case. The first time Cutler and Ratliff ran against each other for sheriff was in November 2010, when Ratliff ran as a Democrat. The election was to fulfill the rest of the term of former Sheriff Allen Bridges.
The two faced each other in the Republication Primary in May 2012. There was no Democrat on the ballot at that time.
During both of those elections, the mudslinging was acrimonious, as Cutler charged that Ratliff had been involved in a domestic violence case against his former wife. In turn, Ratliff accused Cutler in 2010 of skewing Hays County crime records.
Cutler was elected in 2010 by a margin of 55.73% to Ratliff’s 44.27%.
Cutler won the 2012 Primary by a 65% to 35% margin. As there was no Democrat in the race, the winner of the primary became sheriff.
