Houston Cop Fakes Dr.'s Note To Avoid Patrol Duties

Houston, Texas

A veteran Houston Police Department officer has been charged with a felony crime, accused of falsifying notes from her doctor to avoid working her patrol duties

Sonfra Kaye Shafer, 56, of Katy, posted a $2,000 bail on Monday on charges of tampering with a government record. She is a member of the Special Operations Unit.

Internal Affairs Division investigators said Shafer was avoiding her patrol duties while her colleagues were stuck working in Houston's triple-digit temperatures. She claimed injuries to her leg and was working inside an air-conditioned office called the Teleserve Unit, where officers file reports for citizens who call information in by phone.


Working such light duty details requires a note from a doctor every 90 days, and HPD investigators said Shafer altered her doctor's note from May 20 so that she could remain inside in the office job.


Internal Affairs officers said her doctor filled out a questionnaire indicating that she was now able to perform such tasks as writing tickets, conducting investigations or testifying in court. That doctor sent the form directly to HPD headquarters. Investigators said Shafer sent in the same form, but six of the doctor's answers had been changed to reflect she cannot perform those duties.


HPD said that altered doctor's note allowed her to continue being paid by taxpayers without performing the duties she was supposed to be handling.

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Austin Police Officer Convicted For Giving Crack & Cash To Prostitutes & Their Boyfriends In Exchange For Sex

Austin, Texas

A former Austin police officer, Scott Lando, could be sentenced to up to two years in state jail after a Travis County jury found him guilty Tuesday of giving crack cocaine to a North Austin man while on the force in 2006.

Prosecutors Gail Van Winkle and John Neal said Monday that Lando suffered a moral collapse driven by an urge to befriend and have sex with prostitutes.

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Houston Police Mistake Bar Owners For Possible Burglars and Open Fire

Houston, Texas

Houston police thought they were preventing a break-in, but instead they fired their weapons at the owner of a southeast Houston restaurant.

Neither of the bar owners wanted to talk on camera, but for people who live nearby this near miss by officers is worrisome.

"They shot at the wrong people, obviously, if it was the owner in his own establishment. And that's a little unsettling. How are they going to determine who's the good guys and the bad guys?" said neighbor Kristen Crow.

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Austin Police Officer Suspended After DWI charge

Austin, Texas

An Austin police officer is suspended after being charged with DWI.

Officer Phillip Kelly was off duty when he was arrested back in February. According to the arrest affidavit, Kelly was weaving in and out of traffic along Riverside Drive at 3 a.m. Once he was pulled over, he admitted to having four drinks between 5 p.m. and midnight.

Officer Kelly's suspension starts Monday and runs through Sept. 14.

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Houston Police Officer Accused of Fixing Tickets For Friend Via Facebook

Houston, Texas

An investigation is underway into some members of the Houston police and fire departments. The accusation against them -- ticket fixing. The allegation is serious and potentially criminal.

A Houston Fire Department arson investigator and a Houston Police Department officer will soon be the focus of an investigation based on a Facebook exchange. In it, the daughter of a longtime firefighter puts a blanket callout to her friends for help in getting some traffic tickets fixed.

HPD says it's unaware of the allegation but told Eyewitness News:

"We are not aware of the situation and do not make it a practice of commenting on an employee of another organization. If anyone is aware or received information of misconduct of an HPD officer or HPD employee, we respectfully ask that person contact our Internal Affairs Division."


"It is inappropriate to dismiss citations. Citations can only be dismissed if the charge is inappropriate, if a greater charge is filed, or if there is an error on the citation."

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2 Houston Police Vice Officers Accused of Taking Nude Photos of Woman With Cell Phones During Prostitution Bust: Prostitution Charges Dropped

Houston, Texas

Prostitution charges against woman dropped by DA’s office


A 28-year-old woman arrested in March for prostitution has asked the Houston Police Department to investigate two officers she says took nude photographs of her with a cell phone while she was being arrested.

Charges against the woman were dismissed on Wednesday. The woman said she filed a formal complaint with HPD about the incident.

According to the woman's attorney, Windi Akins Pastorini, the Katy resident was working at a Galleria-area strip club when she was approached by an undercover vice officer who took her to a downtown hotel in a limousine. Pastorini said that in the hotel room, the woman and the police officer undressed and he gave her money to engage in "sexual conduct."

The officer then went to the bathroom and another officer came in and began taking pictures with his cell phone, Pastorini said.

Court records show the Harris County case was dismissed because of a "memo" in the prosecutor's file.

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Houston Police Officer Charged with Intoxicated Assault

Houston, Texas

a veteran officer with the Houston Police Department has been arrested in Brenham following a two-vehicle accident that left three people injured.

Officer Mark Richard Hutchins, who has been employed by HPD since December 2007, was charged with intoxicated assault with a vehicle.

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