Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constable Gerardo Hernandez is not only out of a job, but is also behind bars for sexually assaulting a child.
Hernandez, who had been on the force since 2008, was terminated after being taken into custody shortly before starting his shift on Tuesday.
Precinct 4 officials said they were notified moments before his arrest that there was an open warrant from San Antonio regarding a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Two Houston police officers are subject of an internal affairs investigation into criminal allegations. Both officers have been relieved of duty.
The officers, 33-year-old Kendrick Ferguson and 36-year-old German Ramos, worked out HPD's Northwest Patrol Division. The two men were arrested early Wednesday morning.
Authorities have charged the two officers with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance over 400 grams.
If convicted, each could face 15 to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The officers were arrested during an undercover sting for alleged drug activity. Both officers graduated from the police academy together and joined the force in January 2009.
Austin Police Officer Sean McWhorter was suspended, after a dash-cam video captures him slamming the head of a DWI suspect on the hood of a car.
The video shows Officer Sean McWhorter arresting a DWI suspect on New Year's Eve. The suspect is seen on cam as officers hold him down on the hood of the cruiser. McWhorter is seen lifting the suspect's head and slamming it down on the hood again.
According to an APD memo, McWhorter served a five day suspension for using force that Chief Art Acevedo says wasn't reasonable or necessary.
On Tuesday, Brazoria County sheriff’s deputy Joe Garcia, 37, turned himself in to the Brazoria County Jail. This came after a grand jury there indicted him on sexual assault and official oppression charges.
Garcia is accused of sexually assaulting a woman he met at the scene of a vehicular accident on March 30, according to Brazoria sheriff's officials.
Garcia volunteered to drive the 24-year-old woman to her friend's home in Brazoria. Investigators indicate that Garcia assaulted the woman soon after they pulled up to the house.
Investigators were able to corroborate the woman's account of the incident and Garcia was fired on April 10.
On Monday, Garcia surrendered after a Brazoria County grand jury indicted him on charges of sexual assault and official oppression.
He was released from the Brazoria County Jail after posting $50,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint filed against him, DeMont is accused of exposing himself to a 13-year-old girl back in April of this year.
The young girl had been having problems with a boy at her school, and her mother had sought help from a police officer she knew only as "Sgt. Tom" of the Jacinto City Police Department.
On April 11, DeMont met with the girl at her uncle's apartment. Her mother remained outside.
According to investigators, the girl reported that DeMont gave her a blue pill that he claimed would help her relax.
"She took the pill and began to feel dizzy and sleepy," according to the criminal complaint.
DeMont then exposed himself to the girl and asked her to commit a sex act, the complaint stated. The girl ran outside.
The victim told investigators DeMont threatened to kill her family if she reported what happened. DeMont also sent the girl several text messages telling her that her family members were now in danger.
Houston police juvenile sex crimes detectives contacted Jacinto City police and asked if a "Sgt. Tom" worked there.
DeMont, the officer they talked to, told them there was no "Sgt. Tom' on the rolls. But, the HPD detectives checked the girl's cellphone records and confirmed he sent her several text messages after the alleged assault. She also identified DeMont in a photo lineup, according to the criminal complaint.
DeMont, a Missouri City resident, remains in custody at the Fort Bend County Jail with bail set at $50,000.
He has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the criminal case filed against him.
If you have been wondering where Houston Police Officer Alfonso Giraldo has been, well there’s no need to worry. His comrades confirm that he is safe and sound behind bars. That is the result of an incident with his girlfriend.
Giraldo was arrested on July 8 and charged with assault of a family member / impeding breathing.
No bond has been set.
According to court documents, the 45 year old senior officer is accused of impeding the normal breath and circulation of someone he was dating. Prosecutors say he applied pressure to the alleged victim’s neck.
A spokesperson for HPD says the officer is relieved of duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
Giraldo has been with the Houston police department since 1995.
Two candidates, Deputy Carl Pittman and former Lt. Louis Guthrie, are eagerly working hard to obtain the coveted title of Harris County Sheriff and putting their best faces forward.
At first glance, things seem picture-perfect. However, when it comes to politics, a closer inspection can often reveal a much different picture. And that is exactly what is happening with both candidates reaching for the sheriff’s badge.
KHOU-TV in Houston has discovered that both candidates have disciplinary histories with internal affairs.
Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Carl Pittman was accused of physically abusing his wife, Kristi Pittman, on two occasions back in 2008. In a recorded interview with Internal Affairs, Kristi Pittman said:
“I was sitting on the couch and he kind of came at me and was just kind of yelling at me and stuff and I said something smart and he did hit me.”
Investigator: “Which side of your face?”
Kristi Pittman: “It was, well, it had to have been my left side because it was the left eye and it did black my eye.”
Carl Pittman received a letter of reprimand for being deceptive during the domestic violence investigation.
In speaking of the second incident, Pittman said she was punched in the rib area.
Carl Pittman denied the allegations, but a polygraph examination ordered by the Internal Affairs Division found Pittman “untruthful” when asked if he hit his wife.
Former Sheriff’s Lieutenant Louis Guthrie’s disturbing past involves allegations of physical abuse and abusing police power, which led to him losing his job.
In 1999, Guthrie served a 12-day suspension for physically abusing a nightclub patron during an extra job. Then in 2009, he was cited by internal affairs for official oppression for an incident at an Humble car wash.
Guthrie’s wife claimed someone had stolen $17 from her vehicle, so she called her husband. Records show Guthrie clocked on duty early and then shut down the business with crime scene tape for the better part of an hour.
The Republican run-off election is set for July 31.
