BERTRAM, Texas — Bertram Police Chief James Jay Wilson, 53, turned himself into the Burnet County Jail Wednesday after a grand jury indicted him on charges stemming from a dispute over hay bales.
According to the indictment, on Aug. 19, Wilson deprived a man of his bales of hay and threatened to tow the man's truck away if he did not give the bales of hay to a woman. Wilson also reportedly threatened to take another man's driver's license away if he didn't turn over the bales of hay to the woman.
The indictment said Wilson is accused of making false statements while under oath, claiming that a third man "began to act irrational towards officers" as police attempted to question the "narcotics suspects." The third man was later reportedly arrested for public intoxication.
On May 29, Wilson reportedly gave a person non-public information about a third-party member's criminal history. The indictment said he also asked a Bertram officer for non-public information in order to defraud or harm another person.
Wilson faces three charges of official oppression, misuse of official information and aggravated perjury.
Wilson bonded out Wednesday, according to court documents.
Wilson's bonds on all counts total to $101,000, but conditions of his bond included drug testing, substance abuse treatment, no possessions of firearms or ammunition and more.