Arlington Police Department Under Fire After Woman Who Made Complaint Against Police Officer Found Dead

Evelia Villa Valencia

Arlington, Texas

A disturbing report is circulating out of Arlington, casting dark clouds over the Arlington Police Department and a former police officer. 

Residents are calling for a federal investigation into the Arlington Police Department, after a lengthy delay of information regarding the death of 29-year-old Evelia Villa Valencia. Ironically, the victim made a complaint recently against an Arlington police officer that led to his termination on May 12. While there have been no arrests made at this time, a local television station has learned the officer is “a person of interest” in the homicide. The Arlington woman accused the officer of forcing her to take off her clothes in front of him.

Valencia, 29, was killed Monday afternoon after dropping off two of her children at school. She returned to her apartment with her 3-month-old daughter and was attacked.

Those who knew Valencia said that she had been "terrified" for months of an Arlington officer against whom she had filed a complaint.

 

A spokesman for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) criticized the Arlington Police Department, saying it should have publicly notified the community of the death before Friday.

"My perception is they sat on it," said Lico Reyes, LULAC.

Arlington Police are not commenting on the circumstances of the officer’s termination or the specifics of the investigation.

Fort Worth Police Officer Indicted in Ticket Scandal

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth police officer Herman Young, 46, is accused of entering false times on 12 traffic tickets and receiving more than $20,000 in overtime for hours he did not work in 2008, 2009 and 2010, according to the indictment.

Young is one of nine police officers accused in a traffic ticket scandal. His indictment includes 12 counts of tampering with a governmental record and one count of theft by a public servant. Tampering with a governmental record is a felony punishable by 180 days to two years in a state jail. Theft by a public servant is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

Young, a 25-year veteran of the Police Department, had been on leave in March 2010 when traffic supervisors reviewing his ticket books noticed inconsistencies in some times logged. In other cases, some of the time fields were blank, department officials have said.

After the inconsistencies were confirmed with the Municipal Court, the department launched internal and criminal investigations.

Allegations include that the nine officers issued tickets during normal duty hours but indicated that they were issued while the officers worked overtime under the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Young received $48,530.49 in overtime in 2009 on top of a base salary of $72,321.60. Authorities said Young is accused of unlawfully acquiring $21,900 in overtime between 2008 and 2010.

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San Antonio Cop Flipped Cruiser While Drunk: Probation and 3-Day Jail Sentence

San Antonio Police Officer Winder Morales

San Antonio, Texas

Winder Morales, a San Antonio police officer, was given a sentence of 3-days in jail as a condition of probation.

Morales ended up on the wrong side of the law, after flipping his cruiser while driving home drunk from a barbecue. A jury convicted the 34-year old police officer in April. He was originally facing up to six months behind bars for the Class B misdemeanor DWI charge.

Morales resigned from the department in January 2010, two months after the early morning wreck. He refused breath and blood tests at the scene but was found to have a blood alcohol level of .08 after a warrant was obtained to take his blood 5½ hours later.

The Prosecutor argued during the brief hearing Wednesday that Morales doesn't deserve probation because he violated a position of trust and put the public's safety at risk.

“We have a law enforcement officer in a taxpayer-paid-for vehicle,” Ybarra said. “He crashed that vehicle after a night of drinking, then throughout the investigation he lied about it.”

This latest incident follows an earlier wreck in which Morales was responding to a call in a police cruiser and ran a red light, killing Cibolo resident Rodney Brandenberger. A grand jury declined to indict him for that incident.

“One more time I think he beat the justice system,” Brandenberger's mother, Cindy Merrill, said of Wednesday's sentencing. She watched the proceedings with a representative from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
She predicted she will see Morales in court again.

“I have faith in him,” she said. “He is a reckless person.”

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Slaton Police Officer Facing Child Porn Charges

Richard Lee Lewis

Lubbock, Texas

A West Texas police officer, who recently resigned after federal authorities searched computers at his home and work, is facing charges of possession of child pornography.

Richard Lee Lewis, 50, surrendered to federal authorities Monday and was freed on his own recognizance the same day following an appearance in federal court. He is scheduled to be arraigned June 1.

Until last month, Lewis was a police officer in Slaton (near Lubbock). According to investigators, he had been with the department for about 10 years.

According to court documents, federal agents seized three computers, 80 CDs and 10 VHS tapes from Lewis' home on May 11.

Lewis, a divorced father with daughters and granddaughters, resigned a day after the items were seized.

The Chief of Police in Slaton, Royce Goodson, said he was shocked when he learned about the investigation. "It was not only a shock to me but the other officers with the department as well," he said.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Lewis was at his house when the search was done and waived his rights after being advised of them. He admitted downloading and viewing pornographic images and videos but told federal investigators he usually deleted the sexually explicit material after looking at it, the affidavit states.

As part of the conditions of his release Lewis is not to leave the U.S. attorney's office jurisdiction in North Texas, and must get mental health counseling and wear a monitoring device, according to court documents.

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Houston Police Union Retaliates Against Medical Examiner Who Testified Police Officer Caused Death

Police union says she's biased against officer

Houston, Texas

An investigation has been sparked by the Houston Police Officers Union, against a medical examiner who gave questionable findings in a recent trial of an off-duty officer acquitted of killing a bar patron.

Executive Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard confirmed his office is investigating the complaint against assistant medical examiner Dr. Mary Anzalone. The union says the doctor's diagnosis that veteran officer Tommy L. Harris caused the victim's death by briefly placing him in a bear hug was not supported by the evidence and was disputed by another medical expert.

Police Officers Union President Gary Blankinship said he believes Anzalone should be fired.

Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Dwayne Wolf stood firmly behind Anzalone's findings on Thursday, noting they were reviewed and confirmed by a dozen pathologists in the office and he co-signed the autopsy report.

"We went back and reviewed the case, looked over the police investigations and the autopsy findings," Wolf said. "I've gone through this case. There's nothing wrong with the autopsy report. There's nothing wrong with the way she determined the manner and cause of death."

3 La Marque Cops Sued for Wrongful Death: Allegedly Beat & Used Tasers on Victim Seeking Help for Chest Pains

Galveston, Texas

Joslynn Terrell, Angela Butler and Crystal Truitt pursue legal action in response to the 2009 death of a La Marque man reportedly at the hands of police.

A lawsuit filed May 16 in federal court alleges the late Jamaal R. Valentine sought medical attention for an apparent heart attack only to be met and beaten by three La Marque police officers.

It further claims one of the officers used a Taser, manufactured by Taser International Inc., on Valentine more than once despite the decedent not showing any signs of resistance. Valentine later succumbed to his reported injuries.

The city of La Marque, former police chief Richard Price, Taser International and officers Richard Garcia, Forest Gandy and Mike Keleman are defendants in the case.

Recent court documents explain that the decedent began to feel chest pains the evening of May 16, 2009, and went outside to get some air. He thought was he was suffering a heart attack so he flagged down a passing motorist for help, they say.

The driver, Keith Pope, called 911 and subsequently remained with Valentine until emergency responders arrived.

The plaintiffs argue that Garcia, Gandy and Keleman appeared instead of paramedics.

They allegedly drew their weapons on Valentine and instructed him to put his hands behind his back, disregarding his need for medical attention, the suit says.

According to the original petition, the policemen proceeded to punch, Taser and beat the decedent with their flashlights. Valentine was reported to have pleaded for his life to no avail.

The attacks in question left him with a "significant" gash in his scalp and labored breathing. An ambulance finally arrived some 30 minutes after the initial call, however, 20 minutes passed before paramedics lent assistance to Valentine, the plaintiffs say.

The decedent was rushed to a hospital in Houston, but the ambulance was rerouted to Mainland Medical Center in Texas City when he went into cardiac arrest. Valentine was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

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Bexar County Deputy Jailed for Delivering ‘Heroin Tacos’ to Prison

Bexar County Deputy Robert Falcon

Bexar County, Texas

A Texas police officer has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 6-years in prison for attempting to give a prisoner a cache of heroin concealed in a delivery of tacos.

The investigation into Robert Falcon, 48, of the Bexar County Sheriff's Department ended with a sting operation that found him in possession of a heroin-substitute he believed to be the actual drug.

Officers were tipped off to Falcon's activities last June, after discovering a note in a prisoner's cell that outlined a plan to smuggle heroin into the correctional facility. Falcon's address was reportedly on the note.

Officers dropped off a cache of fake drugs, money and taco ingredients at Falcon's house, then observed as he took the fake heroin to the jail, wrapped up inside the food.

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Austin Police Department Fires Officer, Suspends Others After Drinking On The Job and Patrol Car Wreck

Austin, Texas

One Austin police officer is now off the job and six others temporarily suspended due to their involvement in a party that resulted in an unmarked police cruiser being wrecked.

Officer Michael Hamilton was fired following an accident that happened in the early morning hours of December 3, 2010. Six other officers received temporary suspensions ranging from five to 15 days.

The news came after an Austin police disciplinary panel heard serious allegations Thursday about an Austin SWAT team officer who is charged with DWI, and six fellow officers who were accused of violating department policy by drinking while on-call.

It was Hamilton's mangled police car that sparked the investigation into seven members of the Austin police SWAT team. On the night of Dec. 3, Hamilton was on call and allegedly drinking at a party before he left in an unmarked police car. Minutes later, Hamilton hit a curb, flipping the car and sending it into a ditch off Old Convict Road in South Austin.

Less than a week after Hamilton's wreck, news broke he may not have been the only one drinking. An internal investigation began to look at what at least six other members of Austin's SWAT team were doing when Hamilton left the party.

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo used Hamilton's wrecked car to send a message. He parked it in front of SWAT headquarters for officers to see.

Four of the officers involved have been reassigned outside of SWAT.

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Sugar Land Police Officer Accused of Fictitious Police Report

Woman Claims Police Report is Work of Fiction: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

Sugar Land, Texas

A woman is arrested and charged with aggravated assault against a police officer. The details against her are disturbing and violent, but are they true?

"We didn't do anything wrong and they put him (her 14-year-old son) on the ground and they had guns facing at him," said Yolanda Reed.

Reed is accused of running over a Sugar Land Police officer, with her son in the car, in the parking lot of Sugar Land Methodist Hospital on April 26.

Less than 2 weeks after being charged with aggravated assault on a public servant, Reed was no-billed by a grand jury: case closed, case thrown out.

Sugar Land Police confirm there is hospital surveillance video of the incident. Community activist Quanell X said the tape proves Reed did not do what the police report claims.

"I'm appalled by the actions and conduct of this police officer. The district attorney's office should open up an investigation into this officer for falsifying a government document," said Quanell X.

"This lady could have landed in prison over this. If the video tape doesn't confirm what the officer wrote, somebody's not telling the truth here. The videotape isn't lying. Somebody obviously looked at this and said there's absolutely no case here," FOX 26 Legal Analyst Chris Tritico said.

Sugar Land Police Chief Doug Brinkley said he will launch an investigation into the case if Yolanda Reed files a formal complaint.

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Slaton Police Officer Has Resigned: Subject of Dept. Homeland Security Investigation

Slaton, Texas

City officials say the Slaton police officer involved in a recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigation resigned last week but declined to give further details, including the officer’s name.

Individuals from Homeland Security arrived in Slaton last Tuesday for an investigation on one police officer not the entire department, said Slaton Police Chief Royce Goodson.

The officer in question has been employed with the Slaton Police Department for more than 10 years.

Last week, Homeland Security took one computer from the police department.

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Brownsville Police Officer Indicted for Exchanging Information for Cash

Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville Police Officer Enrique Marks was indicted last week by a Cameron County grand jury for barratry.

According to the indictment, he's charged with helping a man get information about a car accident victim for an attorney's office. In return, the indictment claims Marks received some money.

Marks has been suspended without pay.

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San Antonio Cop Already on Leave for Driving Drunk Has Done It Again

San Antonio Police Officer Roland Alvarado

San Antonio, Texas

A trooper with the Department of Public Safety stopped San Antonio Police Officer Roland Alvarado and subsequently arrested him on a charge of driving while intoxicated.

The DPS, however, was not able to provide any specific details regarding the arrest.

Alvarado was taken to the Comal County Jail and released about three hours later, after posting a $2,500 bond, jail records show.

Alvarado, 43, was already on administrative leave from the police department since his arrest three months ago on a drunken driving charge.

He was taken into custody Feb. 11 after hitting a park car outside of a local club. Investigators at the scene said Alvarado smelled like alcohol and failed a field sobriety test.

It's unclear how the latest arrest will affect his career with the police department. A request for a statement from SAPD or an interview with Chief William McManus was not honored.

When contacted by phone, Michael Helle, president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, said that he was "sad to hear about "the second arrest” and that Alvarado "has been having a rough time lately."

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Taft Police Officer Fired & Arrested for Sexual Assault of a Child

Taft, Texas

Police in Taft have confirmed arresting one of their own. Armando Padilla, 22, was charged for sexual assault of a child and was also terminated from the Taft Police Department.

"This is disheartening. We are working hard to put the shine back on the badge in Taft and hold them accountable. If you're wearing a badge or not, we still hold you accountable," said Chief Landreth.

Padilla has been working with the Taft Police Department as a patrol officer for a year.

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Ft. Worth Police Sergeant Accused of Falsifying Time Records Fired

Fort Worth, Texas

A veteran Fort Worth police sergeant has been fired on accusations that he repeatedly worked only three to four hours a day but fabricated his time sheets to indicate eight-hour shifts.

Two other jail sergeants, also in focus of the investigation, avoided discipline Friday. One resigned from the Police Department and the other by voluntarily taking a demotion.

A fourth sergeant, who officials say left early on only one occasion, received a commander's admonishment.

John C. Ost, who had been with the department since 1990, was terminated effective Tuesday.

Sgt. Donald McFarland resigned Friday, on the same day he was scheduled to meet with Police Chief Jeff Halstead to be disciplined. As required, the department will notify the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education that McFarland, a 25-year veteran, was "dishonorably discharged."

In a meeting Friday afternoon with the chief, Sgt. Jeff Valmores voluntarily accepted a demotion to corporal in lieu of termination.

Ost had previously been suspended five times since 1997, including a five-day suspension after his third car wreck, according to the letter. In all, Ost had 19 sustained violations on his internal affairs record.

McFarland had 12 sustained allegations in his internal affairs record, Henderson said. Civil service records show he had only been suspended once, for 30 days in lieu of termination in April 2009 over allegations of family violence.

"I think the chief has made it very clear from Day One that the public expects police officers to come to work every day, to work hard and to possess the highest levels of integrity," said Lt. Paul Henderson, a police spokesman. "We have a great Police Department. The vast majority possess those three key elements and it's unfortunate that a very minor percentage can tarnish our reputation."

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La Joya Police Chief Found Dead of Possible Suicide: Colleagues Say He Had Problems

Update: Autopsy results confirm self-inflicted gunshot wound. Source

La Joya, Texas

A colleague of a South Texas police chief found dead in his patrol car says his boss was having personal problems.

Police Chief Jose Del Angel was found dead in his car on Thursday night. While awaiting autopsy findings, fellow officers believe it was suicide, rather than a homicide.

Officers say that Del Angel was having problems at home. The 44-year-old worked in La Joya for 17 years, starting as a dispatcher and rising to police chief in 2008.

La Joya is located just outside McAllen.

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Parker County Deputy Indicted for Felony Theft

Weatherford, Texas

A Parker County sheriff's deputy accused of stealing from a memorial fund for a fellow officer who died in an off-duty accident has been charged with felony theft.

An indictment issued by a Parker County grand jury last Thursday charges Seth Aaron Miller, 29, of Springtown, with 11 thefts between January and March. He's accused of stealing up to $20,000 from the fund established for the widow and child of Sgt. Rusty Arnold, who died in December.

The charge is a state jail felony. If convicted, the deputy could face a maximum sentence of two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.

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Dallas Police Officer Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges

Dallas Police Officer Brian William Deininger

Dallas, Texas

Last weekend, it was a wild Saturday night around Brian William Deininger’s house. The 34-year-old Dallas Police Officer, also an 11-year law enforcement veteran, was arrested at an apartment complex after a woman accused him of choking her.

As in many domestic violence cases, the victim later changed her statement, leaving authorities with the only option of releasing Deininger.

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Study Finds Houston Police Stop Blacks More Often

Houston, Texas

Houston police officers continue to stop black motorists more often than those of any other racial or ethnic group, according to a Police Department study.

About 33 percent of the 494,000 motorists stopped by Houston police in 2010 were black, while the city's overall population is 23 percent black, the department analysis showed. Hispanics made up 32 percent of the traffic stops but 44 percent of the city's population, while whites accounted for 30 percent of the traffic stops.

The Rev. James Nash, pastor of the mostly black congregation at St. Paul Baptist Church, said he has complained to police officials about what seems to be undeserved police stops of black motorists. "I've always questioned why they stop so many

African-Americans, especially the young blacks," he told the Chronicle. "I guet calls all the time where officers stopped them for no apparent reason and questioned them."

City Council member C.O. Bradford, a former Houston police chief who also is black, said the department has done a "pretty good job" of reducing racially motivated stops but that the situation should continue to be monitored closely. ZZKQNJVP4CNS

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Ex-Montgomery County Fire Chief Pleads Guilty to Theft

Stole donation money for muscular dystrophy

Montgomery County, Texas

A former Montgomery County fire chief pleaded guilty to stealing $20,000 in county funds for personal use.

Robert Bob Robinson, as part of his plea deal, will serve 1 year in Montgomery County Jail for Theft, according to a Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office statement. Robinson has already paid the $20,000 restitution fee.

Robinson was the fire chief for the Emergency Services District when the thefts occurred, investigators said.

In his 2 years of service, Robinson made multiple illegal transactions involving county money and property.

And here they are:

-- In one instance, Robinson took money from the ESD account and gave it to another employee for their personal use.

-- Several times, Robinson deposited county money into his personal accounts and used a county credit card to buy personal items. The county was never reimbursed for these purchases.

-- Robinson illegally acquired the funds from the sale of county workout equipment and donation money raised to combat muscular dystrophy (part of the Fire Department’s “Fill the Boot” event)

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South Texas DA Gets Jail Time for Stealing Forfeiture Money

Alice, Texas

A former South Texas district attorney who pocketed more than $2 million in drug forfeiture money for himself and his staff has been sentenced to six months in jail.

Joe Frank Garza, former district attorney for Jim Wells and Brooks County, accepted the punishment in a plea deal Friday. The 64-year-old pleaded guilty in March to felony charges of supplementing his paycheck, and the paycheck of employees, with drug forfeiture funds from 2002 to 2008.

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Houston Police Chief Says Beating Video Hurt Reputation

Video Source

Houston, Texas

Charles McClelland points to the statistics when evaluating his first year as Houston's police chief: Violent crime decreased in all categories in the Bayou City.

Yet, it was a videotape showing police officers beating a black teenage burglary suspect that grabbed national attention in McClelland's inaugural year. The video of the March 2010 arrest, released to the media in February by a community activist, resulted in harsh criticism by civil rights and community groups and spawned several town hall meetings where residents described other incidents of alleged mistreatment by police.

"It did hurt the reputation of (the Police Department) and it was an unfortunate and isolated incident," McClelland told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "It certainly in no way went to the heart and soul of the 5,300 police officers and 1,700 civilian support staff that do a very good job every single day."

The surveillance video showed several officers kicking, punching and stomping on then 15-year-old Chad Holley during his arrest at a self-storage business in southwest Houston. Four officers were later fired and indicted on various charges.

"The only reason the Holley incident was done the way it was done is because there was irrefutable video evidence. But in the vast majority of cases, there is hardly any discipline whatsoever," said Kallinen, part of the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice, a collection of various civil rights and minority rights groups, including the NAACP and LULAC.

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Bryan Police Officer Is Under Investigation Following Shooting

Bryan, Texas

A Bryan police officer is being investigated after he fired his gun and seriously injured a suspect and a bystander during a foot chase, authorities say.

The shooting happened Friday morning as an officer was running after a suspicious person who may have been intoxicated, according to the Bryan Police Department release.

Bryan police say the officer shot Johnnie Walton Harris Jr. several times. A bystander, who's been identified as Juan Garcia, also was struck by a bullet. Both Harris and Garcia were transported to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in critical condition.

But now the officer, who hasn't been identified, has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of a criminal probe being conducted by the Bryan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division and an internal affairs investigation spearheaded by the department's professional standards division. The Texas Rangers also are investigating.

A second responding officer who witnessed the shooting also has been placed on administrative leave pending review of the incident.

The Bryan Police Department Criminal Investigation Division has requested that any members of the public who may have witnessed the incident to contact the Bryan Police Department at 209-5316.

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Bandera Sheriff Resigns In Plea Deal Over Misuse of County Rescue Boat for Pleasure

Bandera County Sheriff Weldon Tucker

Bandera, Texas

If you are a sheriff in Bandera, Texas, the county does not look favorably on you using their rescue boat for fun. This was a lesson learned the hard way for County Sheriff Weldon Tucker.

After pleading guilty to felony misuse (and to avoid prison sentence), Tucker has been forced to resign. The sheriff also had to pay $2500 in restitution and will be on probation for the next two years.

Tucker was elected in 2006.

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All In A Week : A Review of Houston Police Department

Another blog out of Houston, one of our friends Chimp Lang, takes a look back over the week in review with the Houston Police Department.

Brotherhood of Blue Continues as Brotherhood of Bad

Houston Police Officer Accused of Theft

Houston Police Officer Stephan Riha

Houston, Texas

Police officers are supposed to fight theft. However, for Houston Police Officer Stephan Riha, somewhere he apparently misunderstood that rule. As an officer with the Houston Police Department since 2007, Riha now stands charged with third-degree felony theft by a public servant.

Riha was arrested in an internal affairs sting. Sources said he pulled over a driver for a routine traffic stop then demanded money.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

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Dallas Police Officer Convicted of Armed Heist at Sam’s Club

Dallas Police Officer Alph Coleman

Dallas, Texas

Once hailed as a hero, a Dallas police officer could be headed to prison.

A Dallas County jury found Alph Coleman guilty of masterminding an armed heist at a Sam's Club where he worked off-duty security.

Jurors delivered a unanimous guilty verdict on Tuesday afternoon.

Officer Coleman spoke exclusively to NBC DFW in 2008 after the robbery. He described how a man in a ski mask rushed into the store and held him at gunpoint.

When asked in the interview if he thought he was going to die, Coleman said, "There's not one time in my head that I was thinking, 'I was going to die.'"

Prosecutors said Coleman wanted to be shot to make the robbery seem more realistic.

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Former Waller Police Officer Calling Himself Irish Terrorist Arrested on Explosives Charges

Cypress, Texas

A former officer with the Waller Police Department, who authorities said described himself as a "terrorist" from Ireland, is the target of a federal investigation after explosives were found in his home.

George K. McCullough, 64, was arrested Friday and accused of illegally storing 800 feet of detonating cord and four electric blasting caps at his home in Cypress, federal officials said Monday.

McCullough, who remains in federal custody, bought items such as replica pipe bombs, rocket launchers and explosive suicide vests from a company in Scranton, Pa., according to federal criminal complaint filed against him.

In September 2009, McCullough told FBI agents that he bought such items for training law enforcement and other first responders. FBI agents said he owned a private security company, Red Lobo Safety and Security, based out of his home in the 15300 block of Ochre Leaf Trail.

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