Texas Rangers and the Odessa Police Department arrested former Odessa officer Jody Baer on September 9, 2026, on a charge of misuse of official information, a third-degree felony. The arrest followed an investigation into allegations that Baer used information obtained during arrests to contact people he had taken into custody. The City of Odessa posted the department’s official statement the same day.
Investigators alleged that Baer used information gained during arrests “to obtain a benefit,” that he “purposefully obtained the phone numbers of at least two arrestees,” and that he messaged those people “for inappropriate reasons.” The department said the conduct violated Odessa Police Department standard operating procedures and was unlawful. Those claims remain allegations. Baer has been charged.
He has not been convicted. He is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise. What authorities have, and have not, said The official notice is short. It does not identify the two people Baer is accused of contacting, describe the content of any messages, or say what “inappropriate reasons” or “benefit” meant in this case.
It does not say when the alleged contacts occurred, when the complaint first reached the department, or how long the inquiry lasted before the arrest. Local television reports on September 9 tracked the city statement almost word for word. KMID and KPEJ reported that Baer was accused of using arrest information to obtain a benefit and of messaging at least two arrestees. KOSA reported the same core allegation and used the department’s language about “inappropriate reasons.”
Neither station published message excerpts, arrest affidavits, or additional victim counts. No public court filing reviewed for this report spelled out whether Baer is accused of copying numbers from booking paperwork, an incident report, a departmental database, or some other official record. The city said only that the information was gained during arrests. That gap matters.
The felony charge under Texas Penal Code Section 39.06 turns on a public servant using or disclosing nonpublic information, obtained through office or employment, for a nongovernmental purpose with intent to obtain a benefit or to harm or defraud another person. The Texas Rangers have not issued a separate detailed public statement beyond being named as a co-arresting agency. Odessa police have not announced additional alleged contacts beyond “at least two.”
Employment and the path to arrest The city described Baer as a former officer at the time of the arrest and said he was placed on administrative leave without pay as soon as the allegation was reported. The statement does not say whether he resigned, was fired, or simply remained off the payroll until the criminal case was filed. It also does not give a hire date. Baer is an Odessa native.
In an August 2022 Odessa American department spotlight, he was identified as an Odessa Police officer with an Army background. He said then that he was born and raised in Odessa and became an officer to serve the community where he grew up. That profile, and later city payroll listings that identified a Jody Baer M as an Odessa police officer into 2024, indicate a longer local career than one television report that said he joined in late 2022.
The official arrest notice does not resolve the hire-date discrepancy. No publicly documented prior disciplinary file for Baer turned up in local reporting reviewed for this story. Absence of a public record is not proof that none exists. It means none has been released.
The charge and what comes next Misuse of official information is generally a third-degree felony. Under Texas Penal Code Section 12.34, a conviction carries two to 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and a fine of up to $10,000. A 2025 change in state law can raise the degree of the offense if a large net financial gain is proven. Authorities have not alleged a dollar figure in Baer’s case.
As of September 10, 2026, public reporting had not listed a bond amount, a booking number, a court setting, or a statement from Baer or a defense attorney. Ector County jail and district clerk records were not yet reflected in local news coverage. No new official development had been posted beyond the original city announcement and matching local broadcasts.
The department closed its notice by saying Baer’s alleged actions erode the trust it works to build with the public and do not reflect the values of the police department or the City of Odessa. That is a policy statement, not a verdict. The case now moves from a press notice to the criminal courts, where prosecutors must prove the elements of the statute and Baer will have the chance to contest them.
