x
Breaking News
More () »

Castle Hills city manager fired over confrontations with police, judge

CASTLE HILLS, Texas -- The city manager of Castle Hills was terminated earlier this month after repeated confrontations with other city leaders, records confirmed Thursday.

CASTLE HILLS, Texas -- The city manager of Castle Hills was terminated earlier this month after repeated confrontations with other city leaders, records confirmed Thursday.

Diane Pfeil was removed from her position July 11, following a 4-1 'no confidence' vote by Castle Hills city council.

Pfeil's removal came less than a year after council approved a 24 percent pay raise for her, increasing her salary to $117,500 a year.

The city released a packet of complaints lodged against Pfeil by other city leaders, following an open records request from the I-Team.

Castle Hills officials have indicated even though the packet was prepared for the council members, the council moved forward with the 'no confidence' vote before reviewing each complaint.

The packet details repeated confrontations between Pfeil and the city's police chief, a police captain and a city judge.

"Some people get their feathers ruffed in that way. I just feel like each of the individuals voted in a way that they felt at this time that we had to move forward," said Castle Hills Mayor Tim Howell.

Castle Hills Mayor Tim Howell

In February 2015, Pfeil told Police Chief Wayne Davis via text message it was "unacceptable" that a captain gave a television interview following a raid at a massage parlor.

Text messages sent from former Castle Hills City Manager Dian Pfeil

When Davis replied that an employee tried to tell Pfeil about the raid the day before, the city manager responded she had no idea what he was talking about and his department had a lack of communication.

While documenting the incident, Davis indicated Pfeil was texting him in the middle of the night.

In March, Pfeil again found herself at odds with the captain, after a citizen attempting to file a complaint against another officer said he ran into interference while trying to file it.

Pfeil wrote that the captain had "his fists clenched" and a look of "disgust and anger" on his face.

The citizen, who objected to his girlfriend's vehicle being searched, later provided a written statement that differed from Pfeil's account.

The captain later served a one-day suspension.

Weeks later, City Judge Harold McCall provided written documentation that Pfeil confronted him while he was on the bench about his impartiality in a parking violation case.

Pfeil declined to comment on her removal Thursday, telling the KENS 5 I-Team to instead reach out to her attorney.

Pfeil's attorney told the I-Team via telephone his client was never written up or reprimanded for the incidents and was not allowed to see the packet of complaints before her termination.

Mike Shands, who served as Castle Hills city manager from 2002-04, has been brought back to handle day-to-day operations on an interim basis.

Before You Leave, Check This Out