Following the arrest of Magnolia Mayor Matthew "Doc" Dantzer, city leadership duties are continuing to shift. Additionally, another lawsuit was filed against the city April 8, prior to Dantzer’s arrest April 14
Current situation
During the special April 20 meeting, the council did not take any action related to Danzter. Instead, they rescinded an offer to a city administrator candidate.
At the April 14 Magnolia City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Jack L. Huitt Jr. said the city learned of Dantzer’s arrest that day and scheduled the special April 20 meeting to discuss possible action to censure the mayor. Huitt Jr. also said he had previously asked Dantzer to resign “on several occasions,” as previously reported.
However, after that meeting ended, Huitt Jr. instructed City Secretary Christian Gable to amend the April 20 agenda to remove the item related to censuring the mayor, Gable said.
At the April 14 meeting, the council denied Gable's request to work from home until the May 2 election results are canvassed and Dantzer no longer holds the mayoral position. During that meeting, the council also approved Huitt Jr. to serve as acting city administrator.
Dantzer has since been released on a $15,000 surety bond out of Tarrant County after being charged with assault of a pregnant person, according to bond records.
Gable told Community Impact that she has been locked out of all of her city accounts and has stopped showing up for work in person because she does not feel safe after Dantzer’s release on bond.
Now, the city has an interim city secretary in place.
Community Impact reached out to the city to confirm Gable’s employment status, but did not hear back prior to press time.
Diving in deeper
Gable filed suit against the city of Magnolia and Dantzer in federal court April 8.
The lawsuit also details Dantzer's assault on Gable while the two were attending the Texas Municipal League annual conference in Fort Worth in October 2025.
In the filing, Gable said she reported the incident and later sought whistleblower protection. The complaint also states she requested extended remote work out of concern for her safety because Dantzer still had access to City Hall.
How we got here
Community Impact previously reported that former Magnolia Human Resources Director Kristy Powell is suing the city and Dantzer over alleged retaliation tied to her complaint connected to Gable’s allegations.
In that earlier reporting, the Texas Rangers had an ongoing investigation into the alleged incident.
Community Impact also previously reported Dantzer was arrested April 14 and booked into the Montgomery County Jail on a third-degree felony charge of assault of a pregnant person. At the time, his attorney, Douglas W. Atkinson, said in a statement that Dantzer “categorically” denied the allegations and maintained his innocence.
