Former Denton County sheriff’s investigator pleads no contest to fraud charge

A former Denton County sheriff's investigator pleaded no contest to insurance fraud Monday after he obtained an insurance policy on his personal vehicle following a crash with a Sanger police car.

Brice Hicks, 43, was indicted in May in connection to a Sept. 19, 2021, incident. His employment with the county was terminated the same day as his arrest, according to the arrest affidavit.

Hicks' case was tried in the County Criminal Court 1 of Judge Lauri Ragland. As a Class A misdemeanor, insurance fraud between $750 and $2,500 carries a punishment of up to 12 months in jail and a maximum fine of up to $4,000.

Court records indicate Hicks was sentenced to confinement of one day in jail. Hicks has one day of jail credit from when he was arrested on Oct. 29, 2021. In Texas, defendants are often given back credit on their sentence for time served. Hicks was also ordered to pay $342 in court fees.

Hicks backed an all-terrain vehicle out of Sanger Assistant Police Chief Jonathan Perkins' home driveway, striking Perkins' unmarked Sanger police car at about 4:25 p.m. Sept. 19.

At the time, a Sanger police officer contacted Hicks for an accident report. Hicks provided the officer with a liability insurance card around 11:07 p.m. that day. The policy period was for Sept. 19, 2021, to Sept. 19, 2022.

Later, the officer confirmed with Progressive insurance company that the policy started at 10:23 p.m., hours after the accident occurred.