A Nueces County grand jury indicted Corpus Christi Police Officer Travis Haecker on one charge of theft and two charges of credit or debit card abuse. The charges stem from an investigation into allegations of theft from a local non-profit and use of his city-issued gas card.
Haecker, 32, is accused of stealing approximately $1,200 in cash from the Corpus Christi Citizens' Police Academy Alumni organization, funds that were designated for a scholarship honoring Officer Vicente Ortiz, Jr. who died after being hit during a funeral procession in 2024.
The grand jury met on Feb. 5 and indicted Haecker on the following charges:
- Theft of property >=$2,500 < $30,000 (theft from non-profit), 3rd degree felony
- Credit card or debit card abuse, state jail felony
- Credit card of debit card abuse, state jail felony
His case has been assigned to the 347th District Court where Haecker is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, March 19.
Haecker also faces a separate Class A misdemeanor charge of misappropriation of fiduciary property between for alleged misconduct between April and May of last year. That case, involving the Corpus Christi Citizens Police Academy Alumni, Inc., is assigned to County Court at Law 2 and will not go before a grand jury.
All four charges stem from Haecker’s role as liaison between the Corpus Christi Police Department and the alumni group, which raises funds for the department and community causes. Police say Haecker used the group’s debit card to withdraw $1,200 in cash from ATMs on six occasions. Surveillance video reportedly shows his red or maroon Ford F-250 at the machines.
The nonprofit also discovered charges at Vape City and on the Crowns Coins Casino gambling site for $19.99 and $499.00. When confronted, Haecker said it was accidental and promised reimbursement, but as of Nov. 3, 2025, had not repaid the funds.
The 2nd Investigation: Haecker's use of city-issued fleet card
An open records request submitted by KRIS 6 News for the complete police report in the Haecker investigation revealed a separate investigation involving his use of a city-issued fleet card to fuel his personal Ford F-250 truck.
According to the report, a police supervisor auditing gas card transactions found “unusual” charges. On July 5, 2025, Haecker’s card was used at a Stripes on the 2000 block of Airline Road to buy more than 21 gallons of diesel. Haecker had been assigned a 2018 Harley Davidson motorcycle with a 5-gallon tank, but surveillance video showed a large red or maroon Ford F-250 at the pump.
That day, Haecker was assigned to traffic duty on the Island for the Independence Day weekend. He left early to assist family in Central Texas affected by flooding and later traveled to Waco for a police alumni conference.
Investigators flagged other suspicious fleet card purchases tied to Haecker’s assigned motorcycle and departmental vehicles, including:
- Jan. 1, 2025 @ 9:48 a.m., 4.63 gallons
- Jan. 16, 2025 @ 8:36 a.m., 11.14 gallons
- Jan. 16, 2025 @ 8:44 a.m., 15.38 gallons
- March 1-2: 15.35 and 17.16 gallons for a Dodge Charger with a 19-mile difference in odometer readings
- June 15-17: multiple purchases totaling more than 100 gallons across several units
On Oct. 31, 2025, Haecker submitted a voluntary statement. He admitted to using his city-issued fleet card to fuel up his truck on July 5, 2025. In his statement, he wrote instead of requesting mileage reimbursement, he used the city-issued gas card to fill up his truck's tank with fuel.
He said it was safer to use his truck to "traverse any low-water crossings due to flooding".
Haecker explained he did not use the fuel card which belongs to the city while at the conference in Waco.
Request for emails exchanged between Police Chief Markle and Bulverde Police Chief Gary Haecker
KRIS 6 News requested emails between Corpus Christi Police Chief Mike Markle and Bulverde Police Chief Gary Haecker, Travis Haecker's father. Bulverde is a small town just north of San Antonio.
The City of Corpus Christi's legal team forwarded our request to the Texas Attorney General's office for review, arguing that releasing the emails could harm the ongoing criminal investigation and prosecution.
On March 6, 2026, the Texas Attorney General ruled the city did not need to release those emails.
Haecker's employment status with the City of Corpus Christi
Officer Haecker remains on paid administrative leave that began on October 2, 2025.
On March 13, KRIS 6 News submitted an open records request to find out how much Haecker has been paid while on leave.
Under state law, the city of Corpus Christi has seven to ten business days to respond to our request or forward our request to the Texas Attorney General's Office for review.
Once we receive the information we've requested, we will let you know.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
