Jaclynn Martinez was quite stunned by it all.
One second she's waiting to turn at a light and then: I'm like, Oh my God, Oh my God she said.
I just had a cop plow in front of me and slam me into an 18-wheeler.
It was a Pre. 6 constable patrol car chasing a suspect at the intersection of Woodridge Drive and Telephone Road.
Yet what happened right after the impact, really shocked her the deputy constable left the scene of the accident.
You're like, Did he really not stop,' recalled Martinez.
Deputy Curley Johnson now faces felony charges for failing to stop and render aid in that mid-January crash. But until the indictment came down last week, the 11 News I-Team learned Precinct Six had taken no action against Johnson. In fact, right after the wreck he returned to patrolling.
So we had some questions for Precinct Six Spokesman Corporal Michael Sharp.
I-Team: What message does it send the public that here's a guy accused of a hit and run accident and you put him back on the streets?
Cpl. Sharp: I don't have a response to that.
Cpl. Sharp said that Precinct Six only takes disciplinary action after completing an internal investigation. So why did this case linger on, six months AFTER the crash?
I recognize that there could be a perception of a delay, Sharp said.
But in this particular situation based on the number of witnesses, no delay has occurred.
This is not the first questionable handling of county patrol car crashes. Last month, the I-Team revealed that more than 500 Harris County Sheriff's Deputies had been at fault in collisions and yet had never been given a ticket.
As for Jaclynn Martinez, she says the County is fighting her family s request to pay for their car repair and medical bills. So she s suing Harris County.
It's ridiculous, said her husband Christopher Martinez.
In the meantime, the law firm for Curley Johnson says it's disappointed in the Grand Jury's decision to indict, but will prepare for trial.
Johnson, who had been on thedepartment sinceJuly 2007,resigned Tuesdayfrom the Precinct Six Constable Office.
