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EAGLE LAKE – During a regular meeting held on Tuesday, April 11 by the City Council, a request from Monrovia Fitzgerald and her daughter Kirbrina Robinson was submitted to discuss the process of filing an internal affairs complaint. Fitzgerald spoke on behalf of her daughter regarding a complaint against Officer Wesly Arrison on Dec. 17, 2022.
She said her daughter and granddaughter were passengers in the car and that the driver had active warrants. She said Robinson was trying to tell the officer that she did not want her daughter to be in a police car. She said after the driver was taken in a police car to jail that her daughter was told by Officer Arrison that if she did not get out the car in 30 seconds, she was going to jail and that he would call Child Protective Services.
Fitzgerald said as Robinson was getting out of the car, with her left foot inside and right foot on the ground, that Officer Arrison shoved Robinson against the car causing injury to her rotator cup. Fitzgerald said her 7-yearold granddaughter was left in the car alone. She said she was on the phone with her granddaughter during this incident.
Fitzgerald said when she and her husband arrived at the scene, her daughter was in her car without handcuffs even though the officer said she was going to jail. Fitzgerald said she spoke to Officer Arrison who said the car was going to be towed but that he was waiting until she got there. She said when she spoke to Arrison that he never gave her a reason why Robinson was being taken to jail or why the vehicle was being towed.
Fitzgerald said her complaint is not against the police department or the city but with Arrison. She described the incident as a personal vendetta because her daughter, Robinson, and Officer Arrison went to school together. She said Arrison made it clear to her daughter when they were in school together that he did not like her.
A statement issued by Officer Wesly Arrison reads as follows: “I was recently made aware of a complaint brought against me stemming from an incident that occurred back in December 2022. Immediately following that incident, I initiated my own investigation for excessive use of force that was conducted by my department and the city of Eagle Lake. That practice is standard policy involving any use of force and I was cleared of any wrong doing. I have never been terminated from any agency that I have worked for as a peace officer and have never worked for the city of Eagle Lake prior to my start back in August 2022.”
Fitzgerald said she later filed a complaint with Chief Kris Abbott. She said that Abbott did not have a problem with them filing a complaint, but that the city manager would have to assist in the matter.
She also said that she could not get through to city officials to leave the complaint with City Manager Tink Jackson until she was on the agenda to speak on Tuesday.
Fitzgerald said on March 29, she finally was able to get a meeting with Jackson to discuss the complaint against Arrison. She said during that meeting Jackson voiced that he fired officers and suspended Chief Abbott. She also said Jackson said he could fire all police employees and bring officers in from Missouri City, Fulshear, and other areas to run Eagle Lake. She said all of this was not a concern to her. She offered to play the recordings. The city council did not ask for the recordings to be played but offered to see what process was needed to get the internal affairs complaint submitted.
During the meeting, Jackson said that it would need to be submitted in writing to proceed forward with the complaint.
The Citizen reached out to the city manager who confirmed that Chief Abbott has been suspended since March 7.
The Citizen also reached out to the city manager on a different day to speak to Jackson concerning the allegations made against him in the meeting. Unfortunately, we were unable to receive a response before The Citizen’s deadline.
In his city manager report, Jackson said the city is looking at improving some of the streets. By the next meeting, council said they will discuss infrastructure funds. The council approved scheduling town hall workshops to allow citizens to weigh in on the proposed street bond and repairing of residential streets: The first workshop will take place Thursday, April 20 at 7 p.m. at the Community Center, Wednesday, April 26 at noon at the Council Chambers, and Tuesday, May 2 at 6 p.m. at the Council Chambers.
