Why This Small Town Texas Police Chief Is Now Going To Prison

This story of Texas law enforcement going bad sounds like something from a movie. The police chief uses their power to put the drug dealers out of business only to turn around and sell those drugs to the dealer's former clients.

In this movie, however, there's no rogue detective with no help from anyone else determined to bring them down and save the town. This true crime story comes from Payne Springs, located around Cedar Creek Lake, of the police chief there and one of their officers being arrested for selling drugs they had seized from other criminals.

Arrested in 2023

In March of 2023, multiple law enforcement agencies (Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, Henderson County District Attorney’s Office, Mabank Police) executed search warrants in Henderson and Kaufman County.

Of those searches, three were carried out in Henderson County and one in Kaufman County, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and steroids were found in the residences that were searched.

Arrest warrants were issued for April Meadows and Jonathan Hutchison. They were booked into the Henderson County Jail on charges of delivery of a controlled substance and money laundering. Both of those charges are felony offenses.

April Meadows was the police chief of the Payne Springs Police Department and Jonathan Hutchison was an officer with the Payne Springs Police Department. They had been dealing drugs that were seized by the police department.

Henderson County Sheriff's Office via Facebook

April Meadows Has Been Sentenced

Tuesday, August 27, the former police chief April Meadows was sentenced to 15 years in prison for delivery of a controlled substance. She also will serve a two-year prison term for money laundering that will served concurrently.

A couple of weeks earlier on August 14, former police officer Jonathan Hutchison received a 20-year sentence for his involvement in the scheme (KLTV).

April Meadows - Henderson County Sheriff's Office via Facebook

Jonathan Hutchison - Henderson County Sheriff's Office via Facebook

A plea deal was reached with April Meadows in May of this year (2024). Part of that plea deal included that she had to give up her peace officer license (CBS 19).