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Residents allege officer misconduct at Gonzales City Council meeting
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Summary
During public comment at the April 23 Gonzales City Council meeting, two residents alleged misconduct by Gonzales police officers, citing videos and claiming officers failed to perform duties and used excessive force; no formal investigation was announced during the meeting.
At the Gonzales City Council meeting on April 23, resident Andrew Martinez and Zoom commenter Henry Martinez Jr used the public comment period to allege police misconduct by Gonzales police officers, including dereliction of duty and use of force around minors.
Andrew Martinez, who identified himself as living on 112 10th Street, told the council he could not proceed with his court case because, he said, "the officers, all 20 of them, are violation of the unbecoming an officer because they're refusing to do their duties." Martinez named Officers Perez and Ferrero as being at the scene of his incident and said video evidence supported his account. "These cops, including the chief, are derelict of their duties and unbecoming officers," he said.
Henry Martinez Jr, participating by Zoom, said multiple videos released by members of the public show Officer Panetta using excessive force and inappropriate language. "His first response is to reach for his gun ... then notices that he got the wrong gun, then switches for the taser and continues to point it at kids," Martinez said, adding that the department has used aggressive language toward minors. He also alleged that Gonzales PD had placed home addresses as PO boxes on warrants in seven cases.
Council members did not announce any immediate formal action in response to the comments. The mayor closed the public comment period after the speakers finished; council rules noted that the body would listen but take no action or make no comments during the public-comment segment. Separately, the agenda later included two closed-session items (a claim by Roman Valdez Jr and a pending litigation matter, Durand v. City of Gonzales), but the public comment speakers did not identify those items as connected to what they discussed.
The allegations made during public comment were not accompanied by a formal statement from the Gonzales Police Department at the meeting. The city manager and director later discussed public-safety messaging and outreach (including planned reminders about helmet safety on utility bills) but did not announce an investigation tied to the residents' remarks.
The council did not take public action on the allegations during open session. Residents who raised complaints can seek follow-up through the police department's official complaint process or by contacting city staff; the council indicated no immediate change in procedure at the meeting.
Ending: The council moved on to other agenda items and later convened closed session as announced; no formal findings or responses to the speakers' specific allegations were recorded in open session on April 23.
