Rusk Texas Information Portal Site

Internal Investigation Underway Into Rusk Police Chief Scott Heagney

Heagney dickson

June 18, 2025
Staff Reporter
 

An internal investigation is currently underway involving Rusk Police Chief Scott Heagney, following a formal complaint filed against him. While other news outlets have described the complainant as “an outside unnamed source,” it has become widely known in the community that the complaint was submitted by Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson.

RuskTexas.org has obtained and reviewed a copy of the full complaint, which is included at the end of this article.
 

Allegations of Misconduct and Abuse of Authority

In the letter, Sheriff Dickson accuses Chief Heagney of engaging in a pattern of misconduct, abuse of power, and professional retaliation over the past year. The complaint alleges that Chief Heagney has:
 
  • Falsely accused the sheriff and several of his deputies of criminal conduct;
     
  • Pursued investigations described as “corrupt, frivolous, and malicious,” even after legal counsel reportedly advised that no crime had occurred;
     
  • Locked the sheriff’s office out of the county’s shared gun range without warning;
     
  • Made derogatory and defamatory remarks about the sheriff and his officers to city officials, subordinates, and the public;
     
  • Sent misleading or untrue letters to both the Cherokee County Commissioners Court and the media;
     
  • Told the public that investigations were ongoing while stating in response to open records requests that no such investigation exists.
     
Sheriff Dickson’s complaint refers to “my officers,” though he does not name them directly. However, multiple sources familiar with the situation indicate the complaint likely refers to Deputies Martin Peppin and Nathan Acker, both of whom also currently serve as school board members for Rusk Independent School District.

Chief Heagney has reportedly investigated both Peppin and Acker for allegedly using their influence as school board trustees to secure exclusive, paid security work with Rusk ISD. That investigation—and the tensions surrounding it—may be at the heart of the ongoing conflict between the sheriff’s office and the police department.