The man who ran Austin's police training academy left Texas and became a police chief in New Mexico. A Texas grand jury caught up with him anyway.
Wade Lyons is the acting police chief of Hobbs, New Mexico. On May 6, a Travis County grand jury indicted him on two charges. One is felony sexual assault. The other is official oppression. A warrant for his arrest was issued on June 9.
He posted a $10,000 bond and is not in custody.
š« What Happened in Austin
The charges go back to Lyons' time at the Austin Police Department. He was the commander of the APD Training Academy.
Travis County prosecutors say Lyons used his position to pressure a civilian city worker into a sexual relationship. They say it lasted for nearly a year. It started in 2022.
She worked for the city. He ran the academy. Prosecutors say the relationship was coercive. That means she did not have a free choice because of the power he held over her.
That is what the official oppression charge covers. In Texas, that charge means a public official used their job and their power to harm someone.
š How He Ended Up as Police Chief in Another State
Lyons left Austin and moved to New Mexico. He joined the Hobbs Police Department last year. He rose to the top job.
Hobbs is a small city in southeastern New Mexico, right on the Texas border. Nobody there knew he was under investigation in Texas. Not publicly.
Then the indictment came out.
āļø What Hobbs Said
The Hobbs Police Department put out a statement after the charges became public. The department said it is aware of the charges against Lyons. It said it has put a leadership transition in place.
Someone else is now running the department while this case moves forward.
The city has not said whether Lyons is still on the payroll or whether he has been suspended.
š Where the Case Stands
Lyons was indicted in May. The arrest warrant was issued June 9, 2026. He is not behind bars. He posted bond.
His case is in the 460th District Court in Travis County, Texas.
The felony sexual assault charge alone can mean 2 to 20 years in prison if he is convicted. That is before the official oppression count is even considered.
He has not entered a plea. No trial date has been set.
šµ The Bigger Problem
This case raises a hard question. How does a cop under investigation for using his badge to hurt someone end up running another police department in another state?
It happens more than people know. An officer leaves one department quietly. Another city hires him without knowing the full story.
That pattern has a name in law enforcement. It is called "wandering officers." Texas and New Mexico both have laws meant to stop it. But the system does not always work.
