Grand Jury Indicts Six in Godley Prostitution and Public Corruption Case, Including Former Police Chief
A Johnson County grand jury has handed down indictments against six individuals, including a former police chief, two former police officers, and a county jail employee, in what prosecutors are calling a wide-ranging criminal enterprise built on prostitution, racketeering, and the abuse of public office. The case, centered on the small North Texas city of Godley, has rattled a tight-knit community and raised serious questions about corruption within local law enforcement.
The six people indicted are Ashley Ketcherside, Michael Ketcherside, former Godley Police Chief Matthew Cantrell, former Godley Police Sergeant Jeremy Arbuthnot, former Godley officer Solomon Omotoya, and Regina Cantrell, Matthew Cantrell’s mother. Each faces a distinct set of charges reflecting prosecutors’ claims of a layered criminal operation that allegedly unfolded over nearly a decade.
According to Johnson County District Attorney Timothy Good, ,the couple allegedly ran a prostitution and racketeering operation that investigators describe as a pattern spanning nearly ten years., Ashley Ketcherside was indicted on racketeering and money laundering charges, while her husband Michael Ketcherside faces those same charges with the additional allegation of promotion of prostitution.
The most serious charges in the indictment fall on Matthew Cantrell. Beyond organized criminal activity and promotion of prostitution, the grand jury also indicted him on two counts of sexual assault and one count of stalking, a significant escalation from the charges he had previously faced. ,The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office alleges a prostitution conspiracy linked to the Ketchersides and two former members of the Godley Police Department, including Cantrell and officer Solomon Omotoya, both of whom have been arrested and released from jail.,
,Former Godley Police Sergeant Jeremy Jacob Arbuthnot was also arrested and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity., Omotoya faces charges related to organized criminal activity and solicitation of prostitution.
Perhaps one of the more striking elements of the expanding case is the indictment of Regina Cantrell, Matthew Cantrell’s mother, who worked as an employee at the Johnson County jail. According to her arrest affidavit, she is accused of improperly using her access to county systems to check whether her son had any outstanding warrants, and then later sharing sensitive information about another defendant in the case before that information had been made available to the public.
The investigation first gained public attention in late March when authorities executed a search warrant at the Ketcherside home in Godley. ,Investigators had executed the search warrant and say they recovered electronic communications and storage devices that point to a prostitution conspiracy., ,The devices contained evidence of a prostitution conspiracy involving the Ketchersides and numerous clients, and evidence showing the Ketchersides coordinated with then-Godley Police Chief Matthew Cantrell and other officers.,
The alleged operation went well beyond prostitution. ,Officials also discovered that the Ketchersides and Cantrell had conspired to compile information on people they perceived to be adversaries, including members of Godley City Council, the Godley ISD school board, and Godley Police officers., ,The DA’s Office says the officials known so far include members of the Godley City Council, the Godley ISD School Board, the former mayor of Godley, and another former police chief of Godley.,
Cantrell’s background adds another troubling layer to the case. ,Cantrell served as Godley’s interim police chief in early 2023 before taking a post in Valley Mills in September 2024., ,The Valley Mills City Council fired Cantrell as its police chief in early 2025 after a council member flagged suspicious police department credit-card charges.,
,The latest arrests add to a growing list of defendants connected to what prosecutors describe as a years-long criminal enterprise run by the Godley couple, 41-year-old Ashley Villalobos Ketcherside and 52-year-old Michael Ketcherside.,
Ashley Ketcherside’s history with Godley’s public institutions has also come under scrutiny. ,In 2023, Ashley Ketcherside was removed from a Godley ISD committee that decided the district’s sex education curriculum after it was discovered she had been twice convicted of prostitution in 2012 and 2016.,
In a statement released Wednesday, District Attorney Timothy Good acknowledged the gravity of the case, noting that this is “an exceptionally detailed and ongoing investigation with some allegations that are very difficult to hear.” Good made clear the investigation is far from over, stating that it remains active and could grow further as investigators continue processing the substantial body of evidence gathered so far.
,The City of Godley said in a statement, “The City applauds the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office for their work in investigating and addressing the alleged criminal activity and will fully cooperate in the ongoing investigation.”,
All six defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. As the case moves forward, the community of Godley continues to grapple with what prosecutors describe as a years-long betrayal by those who were entrusted with the community’s safety and welfare. Additional charges or arrests remain possible as the investigation continues to unfold.