Dallas Police Officer Suspended For Lying To Judge

Dallas, Texas

A Dallas police officer recently received a 15-day suspension after internal investigators concluded he failed to show up to testify in court and then lied about his actions.

Police Officer Wayne Starks was disciplined during Sept. 30 hearing. He can appeal the decision.

According to internal affairs records released this week, Starks was sworn in to testify at a DWI trial in April 2010.

When the trial was continued into a second day, Starks told the judge that he could not be there due to a personal issue. The judge ordered starts to appear in court and told him to make arrangements for his personal issue.

On the following day, Starks did not show up as the judge had instructed. Starks later told a supervisor that he had been involved in an accident and a relative was in the car with him. He also told the supervisor that his cell phone was left in his towed vehicle and that was why he was unreachable.

Starks later admitted that he had lied about his relative being in the vehicle with him at the time of the accident, that his vehicle was towed and that his cell phone was left in the towed vehicle, internal affairs records show.

The internal investigation also found that Starks lied to a county court prosecutor regarding his reason for missing court.

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