Document Releases Shine Light on Travis Hill Case

Two weeks ago, the Fayette County Record filed a public information request for documents related to the criminal case against Travis Hill.

Hill was the Lavaca County Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace who was indicted on July 16 in Fayette County on felony charges related to prostitution and sexual assault. The Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office said Hill took his own life that same day when law enforcement attempted to arrest him for failing to abide by the conditions of his bond.

Last week the Record obtained some of the documents we requested from the Fayette County Attorney’s Office.

Hill was initial arrested in Lavaca County on July 11 for compelling prostitution, sexual assault and solicitation of prostitution. Lavaca County Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace Mark Yackel set his bond at $200,000 and imposed several conditions of bond. He posted bond and was released.

According to a court order the Record obtained last week, Hill was prohibited from contacting or going within 500 feet of the victim(s). The order also required Hill to wear a tracking device. He was supposed to report to the Lavaca County Probation Office within 72 hours of his arrest to be fitted with a tracking device.

The initial investigation took place in Lavaca County. Lavaca County Attorney’s Office recused itself from the case since Hill was a sitting Justice of the Peace and also a court-appointed criminal defense attorney. At some point, investigators discovered that the crimes allegedly took place at a residence Hill owned in Fayette County. Accordingly, on Thursday, July 16, a Fayette County Grand Jury indicted him for the three felony charges.

Fayette County Attorney James Herbrich filed a motion to revoke Hill’s bond. The motion stated that Hill “violated his bond conditions by failing to appear at probation within 72 hours from his release and failing to wear a global positioning device.”

Herbrich’s motion asked for Hill’s bond to be “revoked and/or increased to give reasonable assurance of the future safety of persons in the community.”

After the indictment came out on July 16, the U.S. Marshal’s Office out of Victoria went looking for Hill. They located him at a remote location in Gonzales County. According to the Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office, Hill took his own life during the encounter.

The Record is still waiting on documents from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers, who led the investigation. We have requested documents and information related to the investigation, including any video evidence they may have gathered. Look for more on this story in a future edition of the Record.