HALLETTSVILLE, Texas — A Lavaca County justice of the peace who was arrested this week on charges of compelling prostitution, sexual assault and solicitation of prostitution died by suicide Wednesday evening after being located by law enforcement in Gonzales County.
Lavaca County Sheriff's officials said Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Travis Hill had been the subject of a search after his arrest on multiple felony charges stemming from what officials described as a sensitive criminal investigation led by the Texas Rangers. The U.S. Marshals Service's Southern District of Texas, Victoria Division, joined the search Wednesday, and Hill was found at a remote location in Gonzales County. During the encounter, officials said Hill died by suicide.
The investigation remains ongoing.
RELATED: Lavaca County Justice of the Peace arrested on prostitution, sexual assault charges
Hill was initially arrested after the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers investigated allegations of misconduct that surfaced about six weeks ago.
Because Hill was an elected official, the Texas Rangers were asked to conduct a special investigation. The sheriff's office said Texas Ranger James Sears led the investigation into multiple allegations.
As a result of the investigation, Hill was charged with compelling prostitution, a first-degree felony; sexual assault, a second-degree felony; and solicitation of prostitution, a state jail felony.
The sheriff's office said the Lavaca County Attorney's Office formally recused itself from prosecuting the case because Hill was both an elected official and a practicing criminal defense attorney in Lavaca County, including representing indigent defendants in local courts. The Texas Attorney General's Office had been asked to assume responsibility for prosecuting the case to ensure the integrity and impartiality of the judicial process.
Before Hill's death, investigators said the investigation remained active and that additional charges could have been filed if warranted by the evidence.
Sheriff Steven E. Greenwell previously said, "No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection."
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