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Local Government

Gillespie County residents file petition seeking judge's removal

Gillespie County residents Bruce Neitzke and Esther Schneider filed a petition in district court seeking the removal of County Judge Daniel Jones, alleging he failed to comply with state law requirements for reviewing and approving the county treasurer's reports.

Where
Gillespie County
When
Oct. 14, 2026
Sources
Reported by 2 outlets

Counties: Gillespie

Taxes and money

The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.

  • Payment to accountant for financial reconciliation$190,0001 Who pays or receives it: Gillespie County

Does this affect you?

Who's involved

  • Bruce NeitzkeGillespie County resident filing petition
  • Esther SchneiderGillespie County resident filing petition
  • Daniel JonesGillespie County Judge
  • Vicki SchmidtCounty Treasurer
  • Judge Albert PattilloJudge who recused himself
  • Judge Kirsten CohoonJudge who heard removal petition for treasurer
  • Chad LowellAccountant hired to reconcile financial records

The facts

  • Petition filed in 216th District Court on Oct. 14 seeking removal of Gillespie County Judge Daniel Jones.1
  • Petition alleges Jones failed to comply with Texas Local Government Code requirements for Commissioners Court to review and approve treasurer's reports.1
  • Petition claims no evidence that required affidavits from commissioners were filed with county clerk or entered in minutes.1
  • County Treasurer Vicki Schmidt resigned two weeks after Neitzke and Schneider filed a petition for her removal on Aug. 31.1
  • Judge Kirsten Cohoon ruled she had no authority to order treasurer's removal because Schmidt had resigned.1
  • Accountant Chad Lowell was paid $190,000 to reconcile and report on financial records from missing fiscal years.1

Who said what

These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.

  • Esther Schneider The judge is chief budget officer and chief administrator; treasurer never filed required reports.1
  • Gillespie County Judge and commissioners No evidence of fraud or missing money; situation is being monitored weekly.1
  • Esther Schneider She learned about unfiled reports 13 months ago while attending Commissioners Court.1

Where the sources disagree

  • Significance and nature of missing treasurer's reports Petition alleges violations of Texas Local Government Code [1]; County Judge and commissioners say no fraud or missing money [1]

How they headlined it

The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.

Sources

Outlets: 2 not rated Who's covering Texas →

These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.

  1. Residents seek county judge’s removal from office fredericksburgstandard.com Not rated, October 21, 2026
  2. Two candidates seek Miller County judge seat KSLA Not rated, October 21, 2026

This sheet was written by AI from the sources above and adds nothing they don't state. Read the originals for full context.

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