Godley, Texas: Michael and Ashley Ketcherside, a married couple with three children living in the small Johnson County community of Godley, are at the center of a widening criminal investigation that has produced multiple arrests, exposed alleged corruption inside the Godley Police Department, and prompted prosecutors to warn that additional charges are coming.
Michael Ketcherside was arrested on a charge of continuous promotion of prostitution and is being held on a $250,000 bond, according to Johnson County jail records. Ashley Ketcherside was subsequently arrested on three counts of prostitution and later re-arrested on a charge of use of proceeds derived from racketeering, according to the Johnson and Somervell Counties District Attorney’s Office. Both face racketeering allegations tied to what prosecutors describe as a pattern of criminal activity spanning close to a decade.
Former Godley Police Chief Matthew Cantrell was arrested on a charge of promotion of prostitution. Former Godley officer Solomon Omotoya was arrested on a charge of solicitation of prostitution. Additional arrests are expected, District Attorney Timothy M. Good confirmed.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Johnson and Somervell Counties DA’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
A search warrant executed at the Ketchersides’ Godley home on March 31, 2026, produced the evidence that accelerated the case. Investigators seized laptops, USB drives, an iPad, and multiple phones, including what prosecutors describe as a burner phone used by Ashley Ketcherside to coordinate clients and communicate with law enforcement contacts, according to arrest affidavits obtained by multiple news outlets.
The devices revealed communications with both Cantrell and Omotoya. Omotoya was arrested on April 2 after investigators concluded he solicited Ashley Ketcherside for sex, allegedly in exchange for performing yard work and babysitting the couple’s children rather than cash payment. During his interview with investigators, Omotoya said he and Cantrell had visited the Ketcherside home on multiple occasions while both were serving as sworn Godley officers, and that both were aware of the couple’s ongoing racketeering activity, court records show.
Omotoya also told investigators that Cantrell had located clients for his own wife, some of whom paid for sex and some of whom did not, according to the affidavit. Cantrell’s own arrest affidavit alleges he used messaging platforms to arrange a specific November 2024 encounter involving his wife and another man, who paid $200 via Cash App, and that financial records suggest similar transactions occurred at least twice more in October 2024.
Cantrell, during his own interview with investigators, admitted to having longstanding knowledge of the Ketchersides’ prostitution operation and confirmed that Ashley Ketcherside’s rate was approximately $1,000 per hour, a figure consistent with what investigators found on her burner phone, according to the affidavit. He also admitted to personally soliciting prostitution online. Investigators found corresponding evidence on Cantrell’s laptop. Cantrell had also spoken by phone with Ashley Ketcherside after her husband and Omotoya were arrested, court documents show.
According to the Johnson County DA’s office, investigators found evidence that the Ketchersides, Cantrell, and other officers conspired to compile dossiers on local officials and private citizens they viewed as adversaries. The targets reportedly included members of the Godley City Council, the Godley ISD School Board, the former mayor of Godley, and the former Godley police chief. The stated purpose behind the intelligence-gathering effort has not been fully disclosed by investigators.
Omotoya also told investigators that Cantrell and at least one other Godley officer were committing time and fuel fraud, reportedly working off-duty jobs in Dallas and Arlington while clocked in as on duty with the department, according to the affidavit.
Cantrell’s track record outside Godley had already drawn scrutiny. He was fired from a subsequent position as police chief in Valley Mills in early 2025 after a council member raised concerns about suspicious credit card charges, and he was indicted in October 2025 on charges related to alleged misuse of a city credit card, according to CBS Texas.
Ashley Ketcherside had previously surfaced in local controversy. In 2023, she was removed from a Godley ISD volunteer committee involved in reviewing the district’s sex education curriculum after a school board trustee disclosed she had prior prostitution convictions from 2012 and 2016 and was actively advertising on escort websites at the time of her volunteer service.
Ashley Ketcherside denied the allegations in interviews with local media. “Absolutely not. No. Not even close,” she told Fox 4 when asked about the prostitution allegations involving the officers. She also said she was not active on escort sites and denied asking anyone in the police department to compile records on perceived adversaries.
Godley Mayor Christopher Lenker and city officials said in a statement that they fully support the investigation.
The DA has said additional arrests are anticipated as the case continues.
