Two Nixon Police Department officers—K‑9 handler Charles Schnitz and patrolman Jesse Ramirez—were the subjects of multiple internal investigations in early 2026, but their careers diverged dramatically. Schnitz resigned from Nixon on April 7, 2026, before a termination recommendation could be executed, and within weeks, accepted a new appointment with the Karnes County Sheriff’s Office, where he began work on May 4, 2026. Ramirez, by contrast, was terminated from Nixon on April 8, 2026, after refusing a direct order.

January 2026: K‑9 Assistance and Citizen Complaint

The first documented disciplinary issue involving Charles Schnitz arose from a January 9, 2026, call for K-9 assistance at the Parkwood Apartments in Nixon. According to Schnitz’s own report, Officer Jesse Ramirez contacted him at about 10:13 p.m. to help track a suspect who had fled on foot. After meeting Ramirez, Schnitz said he noticed a group of males standing on the south side of the parking lot and began trying to identify whether any of them were connected to the fleeing suspect. Schnitz later wrote that one male became argumentative and raised a cellphone in a way he believed was intended to put it in his face, prompting him to place his hand on the phone and push it downward. Schnitz also stated that he did not realize until later that the youth was one of Erica Munoz’s sons. He further acknowledged that he believed his body camera had been activated when he arrived, but did not notice it was not powered on until after the K-9 track had ended.  

The incident escalated into a formal complaint after Munoz wrote to Nixon Police Chief Miguel Cruz and the city’s mayor alleging that Schnitz had placed his hands on her son’s hands in an attempt to take his phone away. Lieutenant Travis Beck’s disciplinary memorandum states that after reviewing the body-camera video and Schnitz’s sworn statement, he found “multiple discrepancies” between Schnitz’s version of events and what the video showed. Beck wrote that at 10:31 Ramirez had already shown Schnitz a picture of the suspect and that a name had been broadcast over the radio, undermining Schnitz’s claim that he did not know what the suspect looked like. The memorandum further states that at 10:32 Schnitz moved quickly toward the group, immediately questioned a Hispanic male in a blue hoodie, and continued pressing him for identification even after the youth responded, “what do you mean who am I, you know who I am,” and explained that Schnitz had arrested him before. According to the report, the youth identified himself and said he lived in the complex, yet Schnitz continued the encounter and later claimed the phone was raised toward him, even though Beck wrote that the video “does not depict any upward movement of the phone” before Schnitz grabbed it and pushed it down.    

The disciplinary finding was not simply that Schnitz mishandled a tense exchange, but that he stepped outside the purpose of the call itself. Beck wrote that the youth was not required to identify himself under Texas Penal Code 38.02 because he was not in custody and Schnitz had not established good cause to believe he was a witness to a crime. The memorandum concluded that Schnitz failed to remain courteous, patient and respectful as required by Nixon Police Department policy, and that instead of allowing Ramirez to determine whether anyone in the group was the suspect, he attempted to take over the investigation “with little to no information” and escalated what had been a calm situation. Beck recommended that a written reprimand be placed in Schnitz’s personnel file and that he complete remedial civilian-interaction training through TEEX at department expense. Department records show Schnitz later completed that two-hour Civilian Interaction Training on February 5, 2026. Ramirez, whose role in the incident was limited to requesting K-9 assistance and later confirming the group did not include the suspect, was not disciplined in connection with this encounter.  

April 2026 Pursuit Involving Multiple Officers and Schnitz’s Resignation

A far more serious disciplinary episode began on April 6, 2026, when Nixon Officer Rachael Barber initiated a traffic stop that escalated into a vehicle pursuit stretching from Nixon in Gonzales County into Wilson County, through Karnes County, and ultimately into Goliad County near FM 2043 and Short Road. During that chase, Charles Schnitz joined the pursuit while still in Gonzales County. What made the incident especially serious was what happened after the pursuit. During the debrief at the Nixon Police Department, Schnitz disclosed that his approximate 10-year-old stepson had been in the patrol vehicle with him during the pursuit. Schnitz said he had been taking the child to his grandmother’s house in Nixon before working Operation Lone Star and had not obtained permission to have the child riding in the patrol unit at all.  

The department’s review of the in-car video concluded that Schnitz knew the child was in the vehicle and knew the situation needed to be corrected before he chose to remain in the chase. According to the report, Schnitz can be heard saying, “I’m gonna have to drop you at the gate,” yet instead of disengaging, he continued relaying speeds and direction to dispatch. Roughly two minutes into the pursuit, he told the child to stay in his seat belt. About two and a half minutes in, he told the boy he would “just have to ride it out buddy,” and about four and a half minutes into the pursuit he instructed the child to “duck down” when they stopped. The report also notes that a Gonzales County deputy and a Texas state trooper were already involved, meaning Schnitz had an opportunity to leave the pursuit and protect the child but chose not to do so.  

The risk only increased as the chase continued. The report states Schnitz tried to get ahead of the fleeing vehicle to deploy spike strips and reached speeds of 131 miles per hour according to embedded video data. He was unable to separate far enough ahead to deploy the spikes, and Officer Barber radioed that he did not have enough time and needed to watch his rear as the suspect vehicle swerved toward him. At one point, Schnitz became the lead vehicle in the pursuit. When the suspect turned west onto FM 627 in Karnes County, the report says Schnitz nearly struck a pickup truck at the intersection.  

Even after that, the danger did not end. Around 50 minutes into the pursuit, while units were on Highway 239 in Goliad County, Barber advised that she was running low on fuel. Only then did Schnitz tell Barber that he had his “son” with him and ask whether she could take him back to Schnitz’s residence, adding that he would deal with the consequences later. About 56 minutes into the pursuit, Schnitz and Barber pulled onto the shoulder of FM 2043 so Schnitz and his juvenile stepson could swap vehicles with Barber. During that exchange, the child attempted to get out into oncoming pursuit traffic, and Schnitz had to yell at him to wait; the report states the juvenile likely could have been hit by responding units had he exited on his own. After the switch, Barber continued the pursuit and radioed that Schnitz had dropped out.  

The internal report concluded that Schnitz “intentionally, knowingly, and recklessly” engaged in conduct that placed a child in imminent danger of at least bodily injury. Based on those findings, the department recommended that he be terminated from the Nixon Police Department and that a criminal referral be sent to the Texas Rangers for review. But Nixon’s records also note that before the termination could be carried out, Schnitz resigned from the department. By May, according to his TCOLE service record, he had surfaced at the Karnes County Sheriff’s Office.  

Ramirez’s Disobedience and Termination

The day after Schnitz resigned, a separate disciplinary issue involved Officer Jesse Ramirez. Sergeant Nicholas Gaytan contacted Ramirez on April 7, 2026, and ordered him to report for duty that evening despite his childcare concerns. Ramirez refused, telling his sergeant, “nah bro, those are my kids and you don’t tell me what to do with them,” and continued to address him in a sarcastic tone. This exchange violated department policies requiring respect toward supervisors and obedience to lawful orders. Chief Miguel Cruz issued a notification of termination on April 8, 2026, ending Ramirez’s employment at Nixon. Unlike Schnitz, Ramirez did not resign before the termination took effect, and there is no public record of a subsequent law‑enforcement appointment as of May 2026.

Employment History and Current Status

Charles Schnitz

TCOLE records show that Schnitz’s law‑enforcement career began at the Hewitt Police Department on December 23 2013; he served there for about nine months before transferring to the DeWitt County Sheriff’s Office on October 6 2014, where he worked until November 30 2016. After a period of inactivity, his peace‑officer license was reactivated on December 22, 2022, enabling him to join the Nixon Police Department on August 4, 2023. His tenure in Nixon ended with his resignation on April 7, 2026, but he quickly secured a new appointment at the Karnes County Sheriff’s Office beginning May 4, 2026, where his license remains active.

Jesse Ramirez

Ramirez’s career path started with Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office as a jailer and eventually a peace officer. He worked there from August 30, 2019, to October 15, 2024. Thereafter he joined the Nixon Police Department on March 10, 2025, until his separation on April 8, 2026.

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