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There are many ways for a small North Texas town to tell married gay dads who adopted a young boy and who live and work in their midst that they are unwanted.
But there’s a downside for any bigots who try this. They may feel the wrath of the fathers in ways unexpected.
The alleged mastermind of this poisonous attempt to ruin one family is Toni Lynn Wheeler, the former town administrator for Aurora. She apparently called the shots to drive the family out of town. But Karma hit her hard.
Earlier this year, Wheeler, 50, testified under oath that she’s now homeless, living in a city park in Colorado and hitchhiking because she has no car.
She was charged in Texas for filing false child abuse reports, money laundering and the theft of at least $767,000 from the town’s financial accounts.
Where’s the evidence? Much of it burned in a suspicious 2021 fire that destroyed Aurora City Hall. An arson investigation continues.
Notably, it’s the second such fire, following one in 2007, according to a story in the Wise County Messenger archives.
This story sounds like the makings of a TV miniseries about corruption, bigotry and two dads who learned how to fight back. Even the setting is appropriate.
If you’ve heard about the Wise County town of Aurora, it’s most likely because of the famed “Aurora Spaceman,” who in 1897 crashed in the town, supposedly, and is buried in a local cemetery. Aurora, northwest of Fort Worth, has been living off the spaceman story for more than a century.
Sewage seepage
This battle royale started when the two dads, Gary Garcia and Chad Pritchett, who were married 15 years ago in California, decided to open an outdoor restaurant. They chose to rent one of several stores in a strip center called Area 114. The owner and landlord of the project was city administrator Wheeler. The development is named Area 114 because it’s off Texas 114 and satirizes Area 51.
The dads’ Atomic Taco was a hit, best known for its hatch green chili. But there was a major problem with the facilities. The septic system beneath the restaurants didn’t work. Sewage seeped out, and the smell was a real appetite killer.
Garcia and Pritchett complained, but Wheeler didn’t get it fixed. So the two dads filed a complaint with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. When Wheeler’s business was visited and then issued a state citation, it was game on.
According to court papers in two civil lawsuits filed by the fathers, Wheeler sent a city health inspector to find deficiencies at Atomic Taco. She and other city employees allegedly used derogatory gay terms about the fathers, court documents charge.
The fathers accused Wheeler of creating a fictitious buyer for Area 114. The motivation, they allege, was to use the fake buyer to shut down the restaurant permanently even though they had a 2-year lease. The fictitious buyer, Luis Martinez, was actually Wheeler, court records show.
Wheeler is also charged with filing an anonymous and false child abuse report against the two dads.
She claimed the couple’s 4-year-old son, Alex, was being used for sex trafficking. A Child Protective Services worker interviewed the boy, his fathers, the boy’s preschool principal and teacher. CPS cleared the family of any wrongdoing.
But the experience left some trauma with the family, Garcia told The Watchdog. For weeks, the boy acted out the questions and answers of his interview, Garcia said.
Wheeler denied involvement, testifying, “I would never hurt that little boy.”
Missing money
It’s difficult to find all the missing money. Town leaders have declined to hire a forensic auditor. Ten days before the 2021 fire, council member Deb Terrell contacted the Texas Rangers about her suspicions of embezzlement. Garcia had also submitted an open records request seeking real estate records for Area 114.
After those requests were made, City Hall burned down.
A fire marshal report lists the fire as suspicious. Only three people, including Wheeler, had access to the locked building.
Wheeler blamed a multiplug outlet and an extension cord used for coffee and espresso machines. Town records were scattered on the floor. Investigators never found that specific cord and plug. An arson investigation continues.
Back in 2007, Wheeler blamed a short in an office copier for that City Hall fire, according to a Messenger story. City Hall had election ballots and voting machines on the premises. Wheeler was the last one to leave the building, and the fire was spotted soon after.
No one has been charged with arson in either fire.
Bank records
After the 2021 fire, city records were gone, but not bank records. Texas Ranger B.J. Hill found hundreds of thousands of dollars in suspected fraudulent transactions. They included $96,000 to Amazon; $195,000 to individuals; and $85,000 for personal credit card expenses, all through Wheeler.
Yet the city received a clean bill of health in a letter by Houston auditor Linda Miller. Thing is, Miller was actually Wheeler, who went so far as to set up a website for the fake accountant.
For some of her real estate dealings, Wheeler had access to a notary seal belonging to someone else. When Garcia complained about it, the secretary of state reprimanded the actual notary.
False doctorate
Wheeler listed in her credentials that she had a Ph.D. She sometimes used the title of doctor.
Under oath she testified that she had a Ph.D. with A.B.D. – which stands for all but dissertation. Since that’s the most important part, despite what she said, she doesn’t have a doctorate.
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The newly rebuilt City Hall is now open for business across the street from the burned one. A 9/11 sculpture (a piece from the World Trade Center) is on the property. Its name, ironically, is “Rising from the Ashes.”
The two dads lost not only their business but almost lost their son, now 8.
With criminal charges hanging over her head, Wheeler was fired by the City Council.
When Mayor Terry Solomon resigned in frustration over the Wheeler debacle, he sent the two dads a letter of apology.
“On behalf of Aurora and the city government, please accept my sincere apology for any derogatory remarks that were made by a city employee,” he wrote. “I assure you that if I had known what was taking place, I would have intervened. I was being isolated from any city business. My city email was intercepted before I had a chance to read them. Even though it is too late for me to do anything, since I resigned tonight, that employee does not reflect the values of the city.”
The two dads sued in federal court, alleging that the city and Wheeler violated their civil rights by discriminating against them based on their sexual orientation. The city settled, and an insurance company awarded them $300,000, much of it going for legal fees. They have a civil lawsuit pending.
Wheeler’s criminal trial is set for January.
Her lawyer, Barry Green of Decatur, told me she pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The family’s lawyer, D. Bradley Kizzia of Dallas, told me, “If you’re smart enough and have enough of an evil mind, you can get away with a lot. At least for a while anyway.”
When The Watchdog texted Wheeler for her side of the story, I used a phone number she had cited in her testimony.
I introduced myself, and the recipient texted back the following:
“OMG.”
The person added, “Wrong number. Sorry.”
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