Fair Oaks Ranch announces retirement of embattled police chief

FAIR OAKS RANCH, Texas – The chief of the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department has formally resigned from his position, officials confirmed.

In an announcement posted on the city’s website and social media late last week, officials thanked Chief Tim Moring for his nearly two decades of service to the department.

Moring’s retirement comes amid an ongoing lawsuit filed against the city by a former officer earlier this year.

Lacey Gonzalez, a six-year veteran of the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department who was fired in early October after detailing a series of complaints against Moring, sued the city in January in Bexar County District Court under the Texas Whistleblower Act.

The 20-page complaint, which says Gonzalez has exhausted his appeals for reinstatement to the department, largely mirrored a 14-page internal complaint he filed against Moring last summer.

Among the allegations in the lawsuit against Moring:

• He pointed a loaded firearm at another officer.

• Openly distributed Adderall, a Schedule II prescription drug, to multiple officers

• He abused Adderall and, as a result, exhibited erratic behavior patterns that made him unapproachable and unstable in the workplace.

• He systematically retaliated against any officer who formally complained about objectionable conduct by a particular supervisory officer.

• He influenced other officers to cover their own tracks during an investigation into Moring’s conduct.

Moring was placed on paid administrative leave after Gonzalez filed her internal complaint last summer.

He was reinstated in October after an external investigation determined the allegations against Moring were unfounded or unsubstantiated.

González was fired four days before Moring was reinstated.

Gonzalez’s filing was the latest to call into question the actions of Moring, who has led the small department located northwest of San Antonio since 2020.

Former investigator Richard Davila filed a lawsuit against Fair Oaks Ranch in 2021, alleging he was wrongfully terminated.

That case included details of a July 2020 incident in which Davila said Moring and a sergeant entered the personal belongings room without proper authorization. Moring then disposed of the evidence using a court order from a year earlier, according to the lawsuit.

After the incident, Davila was removed from his position as property room manager, his investigative files were transferred and he was reassigned to city hall, before being fired, according to the lawsuit.

The city and Davila reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount of money earlier this year, court records show.

Todd Smith, a former assistant chief of the Austin Police Department, has been named interim chief of the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department, effective Monday, officials confirmed.

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