Whitehouse Police Chief and Deputy Included in Financial Fraud Investigation

Whitehouse Police Chief Rick Waller

(Image courtesy KYTX CBS 19)

Whitehouse, Texas

A number of officials in Whitehouse are under investigation for financial irregularities and other undisclosed charges, according to Constable Dustin Rust, Smith County Precinct 3.

“We have been conducting the investigation for pretty close to five months now,” Rust said. “The only reason we released the information is because we had to notify the city [of Whitehouse].”

The list of those under investigation includes Ronny Fite, Chief of the Whitehouse Volunteer Fire Department, Whitehouse Police Chief Rick Waller, and other police personnel.

The focus of the investigation, as of today, involves fuel usage. Whitehouse has for more than a year used a program that dispenses fuel electronically and all use is tracked by computer, which includes the vehicle’s odometer reading and other data.

“Because of the complexity of the case, we have focused on one charge out of several at this time,” Rust said in a news release.

Rust said other charges for other officials, some possibly in the fire department, may be pending and that his office will forward the evidence to the Smith County District Attorney.

“We’ll turn it into the D.A. and grand jury to decide what they want to do with it,” he said.

Waller is being investigated for acquiring fuel in his personal vehicle from city pumps while being reimbursed by the city for a vehicle allowance. He was allegedly getting reimbursement from the city while using city fuel.

Dallas Police Officer Andrew Maldonado Arrested For Driving Drunk and Crashing Vehicle

Dallas Police Officer Andrew Maldonado

Dallas, Texas

In what seems to be an ongoing trend of police officers who like to hit the sauce before getting behind the wheel, Dallas Police Officer Andrew Maldonado is no exception. Maldonado was arrested for driving while intoxicated over the weekend.

The four-year veteran was driving near Love Field Airport and wrecked his car at the intersection of Lemmon Ave. and Lovers Ln. No one else was involved in the collision.

Maldonado is assigned to the Northeast Patrol Division. The officer is suspended pending a criminal investigation in addition to one from the Internal Affairs division.

Austin Police Department’s Attempt To Hide Citizen’s Panel Ruling Against Officer In Fatal Shooting Failing

Austin, Texas

An independent citizen’s panel reviewed evidence in the fatal shooting of a man by an Austin police officer last May. After reviewing the evidence, the panel recommended that the officer be fired.

However, that opinion has remained secret since being sent to Police Chief Art Acevedo late last year, and it stands in contrast to public statements that Acevedo has made about the death of Byron Carter Jr.

In fact, following the fatal shooting, Acevedo defended the actions of Officer Nathan Wagner. According to the chief, Wagner appeared to be within state law and departmental policies. In a recent interview, he said that he has seen no additional information that "would cause me to retract any previous statements."

A Travis County grand jury will review the case this month.

According to police accounts of the incident, Wagner shot Carter, 20, on May 30 east of downtown Austin after a car in which Carter was riding charged toward Wagner and his partner, Officer Jeffrey Rodriguez. The car struck Rodriguez, who was treated for a ruptured Achilles tendon but has since returned to regular duty.

Minutes before the shooting, police have said, Carter and his 16-year-old companion were walking along East Seventh Street when Wagner and Rodriguez, who were looking for car burglars, began following them.

Police said they were acting suspiciously but have not explained those suspicions other than to say that Carter and the teen appeared to be "casing out the area."

Carter and his friend then got into a car that raced toward the officers, police have said. Wagner shot Carter four times, including once in the head, and shot the teen driver of the car in the arm. The teen recovered from the wound. A grand jury did not indict the teen on any charge.

Austin Police Officer Luis Soler Gets Five Days On Couch for Tasing Handcuffed Woman

Austin, Texas

Austin Police have had to suspend one of their own, after he used his taser gun on an unarmed, handcuffed woman.

The incident happened on July 23. Corporal Luis Soler was the backup officer on the arrest of a woman. Reportedly while the woman was being searched, she escaped from custody and ran away.

Soler ran after the handcuffed woman and used his taser on her.

It is against Austin Police Department policy to deploy a taser on a handcuffed suspect. Soler is suspended for five days.

Katy Police Officer Cody Parchman Fired Following Crash That Killed a Mom and Her Son

Katy Police Officer Cody Parchman

Taylor McShan

Houston, Texas

A police officer in Katy is without a job today, after his involvement in a fatal crash that killed a woman and her 12-year-old son. Investigators say the driver of the pickup truck who hit the family was drunk and the officer was actually the passenger in that truck.

Katy Police Officer Cody Parchman was originally suspended and put on administrative leave early Thursday morning right after that deadly wreck. On Friday, Parchman was officially fired.

Katy Police Chief Bill Hastings says he had no choice but to fire Parchman, who had been on the force for about a month. Chief Hastings made the scene after Thursday morning's deadly accident and told us he had reason to believe the off-duty Katy police officer was intoxicated.

It was Parchman’s truck that crashed into the mother and her teenage son. Parchman was riding in the passenger seat. Taylor McShan, the man driving Parchman's truck, is suspected of being drunk and has now been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter.

The victims, Katherine Addison, 48, and her son Kendall, 12, had pulled over on the shoulder of I-10 just west of Brookshire after getting a flat tire in the early morning hours. Police say as the mother was trying to fix the tire, a pickup truck slammed into their car, causing it to burst into flames, killing the mother and son.

According to the Katy Police Department, Parchman will not face any criminal charges.

Killeen Cop Kirt Yarbrough, Sr. Accused of Sexually Assaulting Teenage Explorer Scout

Predator and Police Officer Kirt Yarbrough, Sr.

Killeen, Texas

A police officer in Killeen was arrested Thursday and charged with sexual assault in connection with what investigators are describing as an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old member of the department’s Explorer Scout program.

Kirt Yarbrough Sr., a 16-year-veteran of the Killeen Police Department, was taken into custody Thursday and charged with sexual assault.

The arrest comes after an investigation that started on Jan. 4.

While the incident that led to the arrest appears to be isolated, the department’s Explorer Program, which was established in the 1980s, has been suspended to allow for a review, police said in a press release Thursday.

Department policy specifically prohibits fraternization between Explorers and adult leaders, police said.

Harris County Constable Jack Abercia Indicted on Bribery Charges

Precinct One Constable Jack Abercia

Houston, Texas

Harris County Precinct One Constable Jack Abercia pleaded not guilty in Houston federal court Thursday morning to charges that he allegedly accepted cash in exchange for unlawfully running background checks and for hiring an unqualified deputy.

The 78-year-old Abercia, along with two of his staffers were arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of violating several federal laws, including conspiring to accept bribes and using the county office for private gain. Chief Lieutenant Weldon Kenneth Wiener, 72, and Office Chief Michael Butler, 56, are in federal custody and are have not been arraigned yet.