2 Fort Worth officers fired after arrests on charges of theft, DWI with child in car
A Fort Worth police officer who was charged two months ago on suspicion of driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle was fired on Wednesday, the department announced Wednesday.
The department also fired a second officer who was arrested on a theft charge in Crowley.
Gary Hawley, a lieutenant with 14 years of experience who was assigned to East Division patrol, was arrested by Grapevine police around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 8. A witness had called police to report a driver was asleep in the pick-up area of Cannon Elementary School, at 1300 W. College St., according to Amanda McNew, a Grapevine police spokesperson. Officers found Hawley in the car with a child in the backseat.
In the other case, the department was notified that Officer Scott Smith was a suspect in a theft that occurred in the City of Crowley, according to a news release. Smith was arrested on Dec. 18 by Crowley police on a class B misdemeanor theft charge.
The Fort Worth police internal affairs division conducted investigations independent of the Grapevine and Crowley police investigations, the department said. The conclusions were that Hawley and Smith violated department general orders when they were arrested, police said, and new Police Chief Neil Noakes agreed with the decisions.
Hawley and Smith were fired Wednesday for “violating department general orders related to intoxication off-duty” and “failing to observe state statutes and the policies and procedures of the department,” police said in the news releases.
“The Fort Worth Police Department holds every officer to a very high standard and does not tolerate criminal misconduct or unethical behavior in any manner,” the department said.
Prior to his termination, Hawley was placed on restrictive duty status, meaning his gun and badge were confiscated and he wasn’t authorized to act in any capacity as a peace officer. Police said in December his blood test was pending.
It was unclear Wednesday if his blood test results have come in.
The termination of Hawley and Smith comes one day after Fort Worth police fired an officer who had posted content online that the department described as racially insensitive and inappropriate.
