Documents show Terry Bevill was terminated from his position as Quitman police captain in 2017 for writing an affidavit in a former colleague’s criminal case.
QUITMAN, Texas — A former East Texas police officer was awarded $21.35 million Thursday after a jury found he was wrongfully terminated and retaliated against by elected officials in Wood County.
On Thursday, jurors found former Quitman Mayor David Dobbs, former Wood County Sheriff Tom Castloo, former Wood County District Attorney James Wheeler, former 421st District Court Judge Jeff Fletcher and the city of Quitman participated in a conspiracy to terminate former Quitman Police Department Capt. Terry Bevill in retaliation for using his First Amendment rights, according to court documents.
The verdict shows that the jury awarded $18 million in compensatory damages that resulted from his termination. In addition to that money, Bevill was also awarded $3.35 million that will be paid among Castloo, Wheeler, Dobbs and Fletcher. Castloo was ordered to pay $750,000, Wheeler has to pay $1 million, Fletcher has to pay $1.5 million and Dobbs was ordered to pay $100,000.
The original lawsuit in federal court was filed in June 2019.
Lawsuit documents show Terry Bevill was terminated from as captain at the Quitman Police Department in 2017 for writing an affidavit as a private citizen requesting a change of venue for former colleague David McGee, who was accused of criminal acts while acting as a Wood County jailer. He requested the change because of media publicity and close relationships among the county sheriff, the district attorney and the state district judge.
The change of venue was ultimately denied, and Bevill was fired and then he was charged with aggravated perjury. In October 2018, a Wood County grand jury decided to not indict Bevill 16 months after his arrest.
According to the lawsuit, Dobbs fired Bevill because of pressure from Castloo, Wheeler and Fletcher, who presided over the court that McGee and Bevill’s court cases were in.
“This outcome is better than anything I could imagine,” Bevill said. “After five long years of waiting and two weeks of testimony, the jury just verified that I was right all along. All you’ve got in this life is your name, and now I hope people realize what I did was the right thing to do, and I’d do it all over again.”
The lawsuit states that because of his arrest, his job prospects were few and he was not able to work in any law enforcement capacity while the felony charges remained pending. The document said his personal and professional reputation were “irreparably damaged.” He found unsteady work as a truck driver, and he resorted to selling his personal property to make ends meet.
“The evidence clearly showed that a longtime and respected police officer was fired in retaliation for stating an opinion,” Bevill’s attorney Laura Benitez Geisler said. “Every subsequent action taken demonstrated the truth supporting that opinion, and that due process could be manipulated to fit the bias and whims of these officials. We’re pleased the jury has compensated Mr. Bevill for the emotional and reputational damage he has suffered.”