HOUSTON — Six retired Houston Police officers have been indicted for 17 felonies after being charged with crimes uncovered during an ongoing investigation into the Houston Police Department Narcotics Division.
The investigation into the department started after narcotics officers killed a husband, wife and their dog during a botched raid on Harding Street in Jan. 2019.
“These indictments reinforce our decision to prosecute the graft, greed and corruption in this troubled Houston Police division,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “We look forward to presenting all of the evidence in a courtroom to a jury and the people of Harris County.”
Charges for the six retired officers, including Gerald Goines, Steven Bryant, three supervisors and a senior police officer, were brought forward on July 1.
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Five of the six former officers were charged with falsifying documentation about drug payments to confidential informants, sometimes with the support of supervisors.
The charges stem from allegations that include using false information to get judges to sign search warrants; falsifying timesheets, putting false information in offense reports and falsifying government documents to steal.
As part of the investigations, hundreds of defendants who were arrested by Goines -- who has been charged with murder in the botched Harding Street raid -- have been notified that there may be problems with their criminal convictions and have asked the courts to appoint lawyers to review their legal options.
The District Attorney’s Office has already reviewed and agreed with defense attorneys in two cases that men convicted because of Goines were actually innocent of the charges.
Indictments on the six retired officers:
- Officer Gerald Goines – Two counts of felony murder, a first-degree felony punishable by a possible sentence of life in prison. Four counts of tampering with a government record (search warrants) a third-degree felony, one count of aggregate theft by a public servant between $2,500 and $30,000, a third-degree felony. Third-degree felonies are punishable by two to 10 years in prison.
- Officer Steven Bryant – One count of aggregate theft by a public servant between $2,500 and $30,000, a third-degree felony. Two counts of tampering with a government record (confidential informant forms which contain details of money allegedly given to informants for services or buying drugs) a state jail felony. State jail felonies are punishable by six months to two years in state jail
- Sgt. Clemente Reyna – Three counts of tampering with a government record (confidential informant forms) a state jail felony. One count of aggregate theft by a public servant between $2,500 and $30,000, a third-degree felony.
- Sgt. Thomas Wood – One count of tampering with a government record (confidential informant form) a state jail felony. One count of aggregate theft by a public servant between $2,500 and $30,000, a third-degree felony.
- Lt. Robert Gonzales – One charge of misapplication of fiduciary property, a state jail felony, for the reckless handling of HPD money. Gonzales held a position of trust and was required to verify and authorize any expenditures of up to $2,500.
- Officer Hodgie Armstrong – two charges of tampering with a government record, (an offense report and a confidential informant form) state jail felonies, one charge of aggregate theft by a public servant, a third-degree felony.