None of the charges levied against Michael Meissner are related to Bell County, where he lived for five months while he was the only officer in Little River-Academy.
Mayor Ronnie White hired Meissner in spite of a past that included 18 law enforcement jobs in 14 years and intense scrutiny at his last few jobs. At the time of Meissner's hire, White said he would give Meissner a chance to prove his detractors wrong.
White said Tuesday he had misgivings after Meissner resigned in August and felt like Meissner should be investigated. He said he recently called a friend in law enforcement and relayed his concern.
It is unclear if a phone call from White aided in the investigation.
"I just feel so relieved he won't be a cop because he didn't really have any business being one," White said.
Meissner is charged out of Dallas County with engaging in organized criminal activity, obstruction or retaliation and misuse of official information. In Tarrant County, he faces charges of sexual performance by a child, engaging in organized crime, attempted possession or promotion of child pornography, and promotion of prostitution.
The sex charges are related to the solicitation of a 17-year-old boy using a social networking Web site, Sgt. Brian Robinson of the Combine Police Department, said. In addition, Robinson said there is evidence Meissner paid people to have sex for video or photography purposes.
Combine is in Kaufman County, southeast of Dallas.
A second man was also arrested in connection with the Dallas County cases and faces the same charges there as Meissner. Joseph Dauben was arrested in Plymouth, N.H., on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, obstruction or retaliation and misuse of official information.
A press release from the Combine Police Department said Dauben is awaiting extradition to Texas.
Meissner and Dauben have both had prior run-ins with Combine reserve officer John Hoskins, who worked the case and escorted Meissner to jail on Monday night.
Hoskins maintains a Web site www.michaelmeissner.com, which is filled with disparaging information about Meissner.
In an interview in March, Hoskins said he created the site to warn the public and decision-makers in cities about Meissner, whom he believed was a crooked cop.
Meissner said in March that he had no explanation why Hoskins, over the past several years, has contacted the media everywhere he has worked and stirred up public sentiment against him.
The charges in Dallas County against Meissner and Dauben appear to be connected to the Web site, www.crookedcombine.com, which is similar to the Meissner site, except it has disparaging information about Hoskins.
Included in the information is Hoskins service record, which indicates he is similar to Meissner in that he never stays long at a police department. In his career, Hoskins has worked for nine agencies, never staying at one for more than four months at a time.
It was Hoskins, an unpaid reserve officer in a town with a population of about 2,500, who spearheaded the investigation against Meissner, Robinson said.
The misuse of official information charges stems from Dauben posting a picture on his blog of a former officer of the Combine Police Department who was arrested, Robinson said.
The picture, which police say Dauben obtained unlawfully from Meissner, was reportedly taken from the Adult Information System used exclusively by law enforcement and prosecutors.
Dauben claims he believed the picture was a "mug shot" and was a public record he had a right to possess.
Detailed information about the other charges was not immediately available, but a press release from Combine indicated the organized criminal activity charge was related to wire transfers between the men that began in June or July when Meissner was still employed in Little-River Academy.
Hoskins did not return phone or e-mail messages left by the Telegram on Tuesday.
