The Quitman City Council convened in an emergency meeting last Wednesday evening to deal with a civil action concerning former Quitman Police Captain Terry Bevill. 

Bevill filed suit against the City of Quitman, the Quitman Police Department and David Dobbs, who was mayor in 2017 when the Quitman officer was removed from his position. The council approved for city attorney, Jim McLeroy, to pursue a settlement for Dobbs and the City of Quitman with Bevill.

“The action the council took authorized our legal council (McLeroy) to negotiate in good faith to settle the case and we hope Terry Bevill will do the same,” Mayor Randy Dunn said. “We can’t discuss the amount or any specifics of the case at this time.”

The suit is being heard in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division. Included in the suit are Tom Castloo, former Wood County sheriff; Jeffrey Fletcher, former district judge; Jim Wheeler, former Wood County district attorney; and Wood County.

It was scheduled to go to trial on Monday, though it was delayed by a temporary administrative stay granted by the Fifth Circuit Court.

The suit deals with the treatment of Bevill on a case concerning former county Jail Administrator David McGee who was charged with facilitating or permitting the escape of an inmate from Wood County Jail and with tampering with government records while employed as the jail administrator.

McGee felt he would not get a fair trial in Wood County. Bevill testified he also felt McGee could not be treated fairly in Wood County. Bevill said he did not believe McGee could get a fair trial because of pre-trial publicity and the belief that Fletcher, Castloo and Wheeler had conspired against McGee.

McGee was tried and found guilty. As soon as the case closed, Fletcher issued an arrest warrant for Bevill claiming he had lied while under oath.

Shortly after the motion was filed, Castloo, Fletcher and Wheeler approached then-Mayor Dobbs to discuss Bevill’s employment with the city. Bevill complained Castloo, Fletcher and Wheeler threatened retaliation against the city.

The city is seeking the settlement for its part in the case.