By Edmond Ortiz
Hollywood Park officials on Jan. 20 announced the arrest of ex-City Secretary Patrick Aten, who is alleged to have organized a non-violent attack against his former employers.
What is happening
According to a press release, Aten’s arrest was the result of an investigation led by the Hollywood Park Police Department in coordination with the Texas Rangers and the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office Public Integrity Unit.
Aten was charged with six counts related to a targeted campaign of harassment and deception against the city of Hollywood Park and its personnel, including four counts of online impersonation, and two counts of tampering with a government record.
Local officials claimed Aten engaged in “a sophisticated scheme to discredit, disparage, and harm the town of Hollywood Park and its employees following his separation from employment on October 10, 2024,” the release stated.
Authorities alleged that Aten used the names of real individuals without their permission, and that he submitted complaints under false personas to the Texas Rangers, Texas Attorney General’s office, and the Texas Ethics Commission.
Aten’s alleged complaints targeted former and current city officials. According to the release, Hollywood Park police detectives are cooperating with the cities of New Braunfels and Marion, where Aten was also employed, on related matters.
What they are saying
Mayor Chester Drash said Aten was taken into custody without incident, and that the city will keep working with the district attorney’s office “to ensure justice is served.”
“The town of Hollywood Park will not tolerate the use of deception to harass our public servants and staff or defraud our taxpayers. I remain committed to the highest standards of integrity within our town,” Drash said in a statement.
