The inquiry follows an employee complaint, an inconclusive city review and a related federal lawsuit.
MAGNOLIA, TX — Texas Rangers are investigating Magnolia Mayor Matthew “Doc” Dantzer after the city secretary accused him of assault and sexual harassment during a work conference in Fort Worth last fall, a case that has stirred public anger in the Montgomery County town.
The state inquiry matters now because it moved the allegations beyond an internal human resources complaint that city officials said ended without action after an outside review found the claim inconclusive. Dantzer has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged. The complaint by City Secretary Christian Gable, who was pregnant at the time of the alleged encounter, has also led to a federal lawsuit by Magnolia’s former human resources director, who says she faced retaliation while handling the matter.
According to Gable’s written complaint, the alleged incident happened during the Texas Municipal League conference in Fort Worth, where Dantzer, Gable and other city employees were staying at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel from Oct. 29 to Oct. 31. Gable said Dantzer offered to walk her back to the hotel after dinner at a nearby restaurant. On the walk, she alleged, he commented on her clothing, told her the pants were easy to pull down and grabbed at them. Near the hotel valet entrance, she said, the encounter became more aggressive. In the complaint, Gable said Dantzer grabbed her by the throat with one hand and pinned her against a large silver pillar before she pushed him away and went inside. She later described the episode as “a threatening act of dominance, sexual harassment, and assault with sexual intent,” according to the complaint.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has confirmed that Rangers are handling the case but has released few details beyond saying the investigation is active and ongoing. Gable has not spoken publicly. Her husband, Bryan Emery, has spoken on her behalf and said fear kept her from making an immediate police report. Emery told a Houston television station that Gable texted him during the conference with safety concerns and later worried that no one would believe her. He also said she is afraid to return to work. KPRC-TV reported that, when asked about the case by phone, Dantzer said, “I’m not a Texas Ranger so you’d have to contact them or Leonard Schneider, thank you,” before hanging up. Earlier, Dantzer’s attorney, Douglas W. Atkinson of Conroe, said Dantzer maintains his innocence and looks forward to defending himself through the proper legal process.
The case has widened beyond the original complaint. Kristy Powell, Magnolia’s former human resources director, filed suit in federal court on March 17 against the city and Dantzer. In that lawsuit, Powell said she experienced harassment and retaliation while investigating Gable’s complaint and that her resignation in November amounted to constructive discharge. The suit also says both Powell and Gable sought whistleblower protection. Court docket entries show the complaint was filed in the Southern District of Texas, but public docket summaries did not show responses from the city or Dantzer as of late March. The litigation adds another layer of scrutiny because it shifts the dispute from an internal personnel matter to open court, where claims about retaliation, free speech and working conditions can be tested alongside the criminal investigation.
Magnolia officials have said the city ordered an outside investigation after Gable filed her human resources complaint in November. City Attorney Leonard Schneider said six people were interviewed and the result was inconclusive, leaving the city without a basis for discipline under that process. Schneider also said the city could not fire or place an elected official on leave under state law. That explanation has not satisfied some residents or Gable’s relatives, who have used public meetings to question whether the city acted forcefully enough or moved too slowly. At a March 10 council meeting, Dantzer was absent while Emery and Gable’s father pressed the council for answers. One point of tension has been the city’s decision not to release the outside report. Schneider said that was tied to Gable’s request for confidentiality. The city’s handling of the complaint has since become a major issue in local debate, both at council meetings and in online community forums.
The political timing has sharpened interest in the case. Dantzer, an Army veteran who first won a city council seat in 2017 and became mayor in May 2024, is nearing the end of his current term. City election records show Magnolia will elect a mayor and two council members on May 2, with early voting set for April 20 through April 28. The city’s candidate list for the mayor’s race includes Jack L. Huitt Jr., Chris Blair and Jonny Williams, and Dantzer is not among the filed candidates. Local reporting has said his term ends in May. That means the investigation is unfolding during the final weeks of his tenure, while the city is already preparing for a leadership change. The backdrop is especially notable because Magnolia has also faced instability in its administrative ranks this year after the City Council voted in January to remove City Administrator Chris Whittaker and said it would arrange interim management.
For people close to the case, the dispute is not only about possible criminal or civil liability but also about whether City Hall can function while one of its top elected officials is under investigation. Emery has accused the city of protecting the institution instead of the complainant. “At what point do you protect the victim?” he asked during a council meeting, according to local reporting. Gable’s father also criticized the city’s response, saying a private company would have placed an accused supervisor on leave. Supporters of Dantzer, meanwhile, have pointed to the outside inquiry’s inconclusive finding and his formal denial. The split has left Magnolia, a small but fast-growing community northwest of Houston, confronting unusually public questions about power, workplace safety and trust in local government.
As of Friday, the Rangers’ investigation remained open, no criminal charge had been announced, and the related civil lawsuit was still in its early stages. The next public marker is the city’s March 31 council meeting, where Gable’s work arrangement was expected to be discussed ahead of the May 2 mayoral election.
Author note: Last updated March 27, 2026.