Ex-Texas police chief guilty of federal charge after ‘despicable’ act while brandishing gun

A former small-town police chief from West Texas has been convicted of a federal charge after being accused of what a prosecutor called a “despicable abuse of power.”

Robert Michael Cross, 35, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of deprivation of rights under the color of law. He faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for March.

Cross was the acting police chief in the Young County city of Olney, about 90 miles northwest of Fort Worth, at the time of the incident.

According to court documents, he arrested two people in November 2017 on aggravated robbery charges and then began to coerce them “to engage in conduct for Cross’ personal benefit,” promising to drop the criminal case against them.

On Dec. 20 of that year, the documents say, he took the pair to dinner and a movie in Wichita Falls. Afterward, he pulled out a gun and threatened one of them.

Arrest-warrant affidavits in a state case against Cross allege that he made the pair perform a sex act at gunpoint, KFDX-TV reported.

“This was a despicable abuse of power,” U.S. attorney Erin Nealy Cox said in a written statement. “The public should be assured that we will not hesitate to hold the defendant accountable.”

In a separate case, Cross is accused of telling a woman in February 2018 he’d help her with her husband’s release from custody if she agreed to be his “chore slave” and would “belong to him,” KFDX reported. He also asked her to send him nude photos, the woman told authorities.

Cross was arrested in that case in March 2018 on a count of official oppression. He resigned from the Olney Police Department after posting bond.

In May 2018, he was arrested in the December 2017 incident and charged with two counts each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, sexual assault and official oppression. He posted $138,000 bond several days later.

The status of the state cases against Cross is unclear.

Cross has been released from custody until his sentencing. Public records show that since 2018, he has operated a real estate photography business based in Collin County.