Matthew Luckhurst, the former San Antonio police officer accused in 2016 of giving a homeless man a sandwich stuffed with dog feces, is now the top cop in Benavides, Texas. His appointment as police chief took effect June 1, according to city records, putting one of the Alamo City’s most infamous disciplinary cases in charge of public safety in a town of roughly 1,100 residents.
The promotion was first reported by the San Antonio Current, which cited Benavides City Clerk Tiffany Bazan and public records showing the city council discussed and approved the move on April 30. The outlet also reported that Luckhurst had already been serving as one of the town’s two officers before his promotion, and that public records show he obtained a school-based law enforcement license in April 2024.
Background and arbitration
Investigative records describe Luckhurst as the officer who allegedly handed a homeless man a Styrofoam tray containing bread and dog feces, then later smeared a “brown substance with the consistency of tapioca” in a women’s restroom, details reviewed by the San Antonio Express-News. An arbitrator initially reinstated him on a procedural issue before a different arbitrator ultimately upheld his firing in 2020, according to the paper.
The Express-News also reported that Luckhurst’s case later surfaced in a 2022 Sunset Advisory Commission review, where it was cited as an example in broader concerns about how Texas tracks and disciplines police officers.
Benavides leaders defend the hire
City officials in Benavides have stood by both Luckhurst’s hiring and his promotion, saying his performance since joining the department has been “exemplary” and that the city completed all required background checks, according to KSAT. The station published a statement from then Chief Andre Hines, who said the department requested information from Luckhurst’s prior agencies and reviewed his employment history before he was sworn in.
Luckhurst joined the Benavides force in 2023 amid scrutiny, according to earlier local reporting, and even that initial hire had already raised concerns in nearby communities.
Why the case matters
Police accountability advocates say Luckhurst’s rise to chief underscores ongoing gaps in Texas’s oversight of law enforcement officers. The San Antonio Express-News has noted that his case was used in statewide reviews of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which recommended stronger data collection and clearer authority to intervene in serious misconduct cases. Critics argue that without those kinds of reforms, officers with controversial histories can continue moving between agencies with few lasting consequences.
Benavides Mayor Ramiro Saenz was not immediately available for comment, the San Antonio Current reported, and the town has not rolled out any new oversight measures tied to Luckhurst’s promotion. For now, the decision leaves residents and watchdogs alike asking whether standard background checks and state licensing are enough when a small town hands the chief’s badge to an officer with a past this public.
