FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – A Fort Bend County police chief who alerted his officers to wear respirators and then told them not to report to work because of black mold in the police station has been fired.
Former Arcola Police Chief Brandon Torres believes his dismissal this week was retaliatory.
"I think they got upset that we brought light to this problem in Arcola," Torres said.
Torres was fired less than two weeks after Channel 2 Investigates aired an interview with him and other city employees highlighting the mold issue.
Workers at City Hall and the Arcola Police Station are now being temporarily housed in two modular buildings in the parking lot, while the original building remains closed and locked.
Torres was fired in a public City Council meeting instead of behind closed doors.
All five City Council members voted to dismiss Torres, who was on the job less than five months.
City Council members said they had lost confidence in Torres.
Channel 2 Investigates obtained an audio recording of the April 10 meeting. Before the vote to terminate the chief, the city attorney appeared to warn council members to proceed carefully.
"You're dealing with someone's reputation and that's the reason that the law allows you to close to the doors," Arcola City Attorney James L. Dougherty Jr. said during the meeting.
We tried to get in touch with each of the five council members as well as the mayor.
Only one responded to our questions and he declined to discuss the issue further.
"It's just a lack of confidence, but we can't discuss it at the moment because of the deal going on with the former chief of police of Arcola," Councilman Glenn Sanco said.
Torres said Friday he had not yet received a termination letter, but he is no longer reporting to work. He has retained Houston attorney LaShawn Williams.
A sergeant in the Arcola Police Department is expected to assume the chief's duties in the half-dozen-member department.
The fate of Arcola's City Hall also remained unclear Friday. Sanco said, "It's in progress."