Former Mount Pleasant City Manager Found Not Guilty in Reimbursement Case
Former Mount Pleasant city manager Ed Thatcher was found not guilty by a Gregg County jury in a trial related to mileage reimbursements paid to city council members. The case involved charges of tampering with a governmental record stemming from…
Tyler Longview, TX, October 29, 2026 —
Former Mount Pleasant city manager Ed Thatcher was found not guilty by a Gregg County jury in a case concerning mileage reimbursements paid to city council members.
The trial involved charges of tampering with a governmental record. Prosecutors alleged that the reimbursement program amounted to an illegal car allowance. The defense argued that the system was poorly managed but did not constitute a crime.
The jury’s not-guilty finding resolves Thatcher’s case with that outcome. The information provided does not specify when the trial took place, how long it lasted, or what evidence was presented to jurors. It also does not identify the specific records at issue or describe the reimbursement program’s procedures.
The summary does not provide a statement from Thatcher, his defense team, prosecutors or Mount Pleasant officials. It also does not detail whether the program was changed, discontinued or reviewed after the case. No additional consequences or next steps were provided.
The case centered on the distinction between the prosecution’s characterization of the payments as an illegal car allowance and the defense’s position that shortcomings in managing the system were not criminal. The jury found Thatcher not guilty of the charges described in the summary. Further details about the allegations and the jury’s deliberations were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Staff Reports on tylerpaper.com, see more information here.
