Pizza costs Rio Hondo police chief his job

RIO HONDO - City commissioners Thursday fired longtime Police Chief Sam Martinez about a month after they found out he works a second job at a Pizza Hut.

Commissioners voted to fire Martinez after his attorney, Bill Kimball, refused Mayor Santiago Saldaña's request to turn over records of the chief's Pizza Hut employment.

Before a packed crowd of the chief's supporters, Saldaña said Martinez failed to cooperate in an investigation to determine whether he worked a second job at Pizza Hut.

Commissioner Celeste Tello cast the lone dissenting vote after the board met about an hour behind closed doors with City Attorney Jan Cassidy.

Martinez, a 10-year veteran with the department, said he believed commissioners fired him because he launched a criminal investigation, which he declined to describe.

"Right now we have a criminal investigation," Martinez said in an interview after commissioners voted to fire him. "We're going to continue the investigation."

Martinez, who refused to disclose the target or nature of the probe, said the investigation would be turned over to another law enforcement agency.

"It was a secret investigation, so only he knows," Saldaña said, referring to the nature of the investigation.

Kimball said Martinez would file a lawsuit over his firing.

"There'll be litigation," Kimball said after the meeting.

Israel Guajardo, a volunteer firefighter, said Martinez's firing would lead about five firefighters to resign today.

"Sam was a great leader," Guajardo said after the meeting. "There's no leadership."

As supporters streamed out of City Hall, Brenda Pugo said she believed commissioners fired Martinez because the investigation he said he was conducting.

"Mr. Martinez was pointing out the wrongdoings of the city of Rio Hondo," Pugo, a nurse, said after the meeting. "This isn't justice."

Last month, officials suspended Martinez with pay after they found out he worked a second job at Pizza Hut, Saldaña said at the time.

Martinez, who served as chief since 1999, didn't tell officials that he'd worked at Pizza Hut since 1992, Saldaña said.

Martinez had said he had launched an investigation into City Administrator Arturo Prida, Saldaña said last month.

But Martinez's suspension was not the result of that investigation, Saldaña said.

Saldaña said he did not know the nature of the investigation.