The former police chief of Lometa has been acquitted of eavesdropping in this case

LOMETA, Texas (KXXV) – Melissa Cantu, the former chief of the Lometa Police Department, has been found not guilty of two counts of wiretapping. Over the past year, Cantu’s defense team argued that the case was politically motivated.

“We have a municipal court judge, a mayor, a city clerk and a Texas forest ranger – who destroyed evidence – all conspiring to go after the chief of police because she was doing her job,” said Ben Michael, part of Cantu’s defense team.

The situation began when City Clerk Elizabeth Lambert accused Judge Sharon Watson and her clerk, Stephanie Sweet, of bullying and creating a hostile work environment. Lambert asked Cantu for help, and Cantu, with the mayor’s permission, was given access to surveillance footage to investigate the allegations.

However, the trial revealed that when the footage became damaging to Watson and Sweet, they responded by accusing Cantu of wiretapping.

“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this affected Mel Cantu’s life,” Michael said.

“She lost her job as police chief, and her reputation suffered in the community. This is a small community of a few thousand people. They all know each other and she was wrongly accused of misconduct for over a year.”

Although Cantu was acquitted, Michael says the impact on her life remains.

“Even though we ultimately got justice for her, it is not the same as real justice because real justice would mean addressing the harm that was unfairly inflicted on my client,” Michael said.

The case concluded after a 12-member jury deliberated for two hours before returning a not guilty verdict.

Cantu filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Lometa for refusing to pay overtime wages. That case is still ongoing.

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