Overview
- Galveston County’s Organized Crime Task Force executed 21 search warrants at 20 Hitchcock locations, including suspected game rooms and City Hall for permitting and inspection records.
- Mayor Christopher Armacost, who also serves as a Hitchcock ISD assistant superintendent, was arrested on a felony charge of engaging in organized criminal activity.
- Officials report 33 arrests, the seizure of 749 gaming machines, $417,752 in cash, and eight firearms during the operation.
- Court records and reporting reference undercover visits to the Comfort Zone Washateria, linked to Armacost Investments LLC, where investigators say prize tickets were exchanged for cash.
- The City of Hitchcock and Hitchcock ISD say they are cooperating with investigators, and the sheriff’s office plans a forthcoming update on evidence and enforcement actions as the probe continues.