Jennifer Thompson, a former council member in Godley, Texas, has said then-Mayor Acy McGehee worked with police to arrest her shortly before a Feb. 7 City Council meeting, following her months-long attempts to get answers to questions about the city’s finances and hiring practices. She was arrested on the City Hall steps, jailed, strip searched and held for 24 hours.
The former mayor of a small Texas town who was ousted by the City Council is now being sued by a former council member who accuses him of abusing his position to silence her.
Jennifer Thompson, the former council member, previously told The Dallas Morning News she believed then-Mayor Acy McGehee worked with police to arrest her shortly before a Feb. 7 City Council meeting, following her monthslong attempts to get answers to questions about the city’s finances and hiring practices.
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WATCH HEREThompson filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alleging McGehee, the city and multiple members of the city’s law enforcement, including its interim police chief, conspired to violate her constitutional rights.
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SIGN UP McGehee told The News he was aware of the lawsuit but had not read through it late Thursday afternoon. He denied abusing his office to silence Thompson and said he “had no knowledge” of the crime she was accused of until after she was taken into custody.
The city of Godley did not immediately respond to a request for an interview.
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