Update: Slaton Police Officer Richard Lee Lewis Indicted in Child Pornography Case

Slaton Police Officer Richard Lee Lewis

Lubbock, Texas

We first brought you the story last month, after Slaton Police Officer Richard Lee Lewis was arrested on child porn allegations. Today, 50-year-old Lewis was officially indicted on six counts related to child pornography federal agents said they found last month on his home computer.

The indictment includes three counts of transportation of child pornography, two counts of receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and one count of possession of child pornography.

Court documents show Lewis resigned from the Slaton Police Department after federal authorities searched three computers, 80 CDs and 10 VHS tapes seized from his home on May 11.

The arrest warrant affidavit reveals that, on the day of the search, Lewis was at home 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.

Slaton police Chief Royce Goodson has said Lewis, a divorced father with daughters and grand-daughters, resigned a day after the items were seized.

Lewis, a 10-year department veteran, is free on his own recognizance. However, as part of the conditions of his release, he is not to leave the U.S. attorney's office jurisdiction in North Texas, must get mental health counseling and wear a monitoring device, according to court documents.

A trial date has not been set.

Source

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.

Source

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.”

Source

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.

Source

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.

Source