The employee was hospitalized with injuries that weren't considered life threatening, police said. Headline here July 30, 2023 A Dallas police employee was shot in the arm Tuesday after a gun accidentally discharged in the property room, the department confirmed. The employee, who was not named by police, was processing evidence when the shoot...

The consequences played out Thursday in a murder trial, where a man was found guilty despite evidence being unavailable to jurors or lawyers May 20, 2023 (TNS) — Dallas police are struggling to access physical and digital evidence amid an ongoing ransomware attack that is disrupting trials, according to defense lawyers who are exasperated after mor...

"seized it the night before but forgot to take it to the property room". April 22, 2023 Fort Worth Police say an officer is off the force after an investigation determined he was dishonest. The department released a statement Friday saying Officer Cody Atkinson had been terminated following an internal administrative investigation "into several inc...

Police said the records may include digital evidence for court cases, which could mean that information wasn't provided to lawyers as required by state law. February 24, 2023 Dallas police are at risk of being in violation of evidence laws after officers improperly stored more than 52,000 digital records, according to interviews and internal commun...

Residents could exchange their guns for gift cards at the event,  Enter Article DATE HERE The Houston, Texas police chief is declaring the city's gun buyback program hosted on July 30 a success. Residents could exchange their guns for gift cards at the event, which was hosted at Wheeler Ave. Baptist Church, according to FOX 26. Sylvester ...

Sixty percent of evidence was within the statute of limitations July 14, 2022 The Schertz Police Department made a crucial error this week. The error resulted in the destruction of evidence that impacted over 1,000 cases in three different counties. On Tuesday, July 12, the Schertz Police Department released a statement informing the public about a...

"I was asked to basically restart this program of destroying the firearms, because we had thousands of firearms in our evidence room, and we were running out of space to store more based on the number of guns being seized by the department," he said. Enter Article DATE HERE Sergeant William Flannery with the Austin Police Department's (APD) fi...

According to new data provided by the Texas DPS on Thursday, Operation Lone Star has seized 160 pounds of fentanyl within its targeted area.  December 10, 2021 The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced Thursday that in this year alone they have seized enough fentanyl crossing the border to kill 200 million people. The drug seizures...

Officers  seized as many as 400 catalytic converters  August 1, 2021 HOUSTON – One of the suspects police said was involved in the theft of nearly 400 catalytic converters is due in court Friday. Houston police officers said two men seized as many as 400 catalytic converters in northeast Houston Wednesday night. Police arrested two men in...

City officials discovered an additional 15 terabytes of missing Dallas police evidence and files from the city secretary's office during its ongoing audit of a massive data deletion that occurred in April, a city spokeswoman said Monday.  August 31, 2021  City officials discovered an additional 15 terabytes of Dallas police evidence and f...

Salary: HAYS COUNTY JOB DESCRIPTION Job Code: 0626 Grade: 109 Date Prepared: August 2021 FLSA: Non-Exempt Safety Sensitive Phone Allocation Job Requirements: Knowledge RequiredGeneral knowledge of principles, practices, and procedures of record-keeping and evidence/property management (preferred)General knowledge of the processing, storage, and dis...

A police employee accidentally deleted 22 terabytes of case files when trying to migrate data between servers. August 22, 2021 In Dallas, at least one murder trial has been delayed after a police employee accidentally destroyed 8 terabytes of digital case files and materials during a routine data migration process gone wrong. A Dallas Police Depart...

Jonathan Pitts is the first defendant known to be impacted by the city's loss of police department data. August 14, 2021 Update 6:30 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details about how this could impact other court cases, a statement from Dallas police and to reflect that Pitts remained jailed. A murder suspect scheduled to go on trial t...

False police reports of secondhand fentanyl overdose are remarkably consistent. Enter Article DATE HERE Once as a paramedic student, I accidentally sprayed fentanyl in my face. It was my first time administering the medication, and a patient with a broken ankle was lying on the gurney in front of me, tensed uncomfortably, when the ambulance hi...

A search warrant was obtained to collect Adkins' DNA, which led to his arrest in connection to Dunn's murder. June 18, 2021 MITCHELL COUNTY, Texas -- A man has been charged in the murder of Mitchell County teen Hailey Dunn -- over 10 years after she was last seen alive. Shawn Casey Adkins, 35, of Big Spring, TX , was arrested Monday and charge...

Sheriff's Department report that 50 Kilos of what is thought to be cocaine have been found washed up on the beaches  May 31, 2021 MATAGORDA COUNTY, TX – The Matagorda County Sheriff's Department report that 50 Kilos of what is thought to be cocaine have been found washed up on the beaches of Matagorda County over the past several days. The She...

38 years later to the day, and collected a known DNA sample from Darnell. May 19, 2021 MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – An arrest has been made in a decades-long cold case of a Houston woman who was found dead in 1983 in Montgomery County, according to the Sheriff's Office. On March 17, 1983, a deputy who was patrolling in the 4000 block of Interstate 45...

A grand jury indicted Schmidt on charges that he stole money and firearms from the Beverly Hills Police Department  May 11, 2021 Former Beverly Hills Police Chief Thomas Eugene Schmidt was arrested Monday morning by Texas Rangers on a charge of theft by a public servant. According to an indictment unsealed Monday, a grand jury indicted Schmidt...

DNA evidence has led to the arrest of a Katy man in connection to a 2008 San Angelo cold case April 27, 2021 SAN ANGELO — DNA evidence has led to the arrest of a Katy man in connection to a 2008 San Angelo cold case, according to a police news release. Just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, 2021, police announced an arrest had been made in the shoot...

The college ring was found in a purse about the be destroyed in the Lancaster PD property room  APRIL 22, 2021 With two people; one a Lieutenant, the other a civilian and, a mound of property that ranges from drugs, to money, to clothes to sometimes, valuable items that could easily get lost in the mix, if a human touch isn't applied then prop...

The Dallas County Sheriff's Office has arrested one of their own, clerical supervisor Umeka T. Myers for theft. April  7, 2021 DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Dallas County Sheriff's Office has arrested one of their own, clerical supervisor Umeka T. Myers for theft. Umeka T. Myers (credit: Dallas County Sheriff's Office) "Accountability is a core va...

The rape kits collecting dust in Texas labs represent unidentified criminals that could be named and prosecuted, even halting repeat rapists February 6, 2021 That's the number of untested rape kits in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, and more than 1,000 of them sit on lab shelves in Dallas. Each kit holds unique DNA eviden...

"You're preying on poor people's lives," said Laquita Garcia, a San Antonio-based bail reform advocate" December 29, 2021 The San Antonio Police Department charges a $25 fee for prisoners to get their own property returned to them after leaving jail. Police Chief William McManus supports the $25 fee as a simple way to defray some of the costs of st...

Williamson County grand jury indictment accuses Chody of intentionally destroying or concealing video and audio recordings of the fatal encounter, which was filmed for the television show Live PD. September 30, 2020 A Texas sheriff has been indicted on felony charges of tampering with evidence in the case of Javier Ambler, a Black man who was kille...

DNA profile was then used to narrow the search to three brothers with the last name McCurley. Enter Article DATE HERE September 22, 2020 Suspect was a person of interest in the 1974 slaying but detectives said there wasn't enough evidence to tie him to the case 46 years ago.Texas company used a new forensic process to create a full DNA profile...

Federal agents seized over a million dollars worth of meth during three separate drug smuggling attempts September 10, 2020 LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) -Federal agents seized over a million dollars of drugs during three separate incidents at the start of the month. The first incident happened on August 31st when officers at the World Trade Bridge referred ...

A recent alert in CODIS — the Combined DNA Index System — led the Texas Rangers and the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office to focus their attention on Castillo September 8, 2020 CrimeLatest News Arrest Made in 17-Year-Old Lubbock County Cold Case September 8, 2020 After more than 17 years, a man is facing charges in the 2003 slaying of a 21-year-old L...

During the audit, numerous items of stored evidence were able to be disposed of or returned to the owner. September 1, 2020 CLIFTON, TX — An audit of the Clifton Police Department evidence room lead to the return of a sword that was seized in 2008 as a result of an arrest. The department says the audit was conducted recently. During the audit, nume...

Arrested for stealing guns, drugs and cash from the police department's evidence room. July 12, 2020 "Drugs will lead you to one of two places either the graveyard or prison, and my life is a definite testament to that," Northcutt said. Northcutt will head to a federal prison in Texarkana Thursday to begin his two year prison sentence. Back in Nove...

The fake pills are nothing new to local, state, or federal authorities from California to Florida. June 25, 2020 Oklahoma authorities voiced concern Wednesday that overdoses and deaths linked to fake prescription pills continue to increase throughout the state. And, some investigations have led Oklahoma authorities into North Texas. As of May, six ...

The Cold Case Team had a confirmation with a match from the victim's DNA and crime-scene evidence. March 17, 2020 CHINO HILLS – A long-ago mystery into the death of a pregnant female dumped onto the roadway in 2001 came to the fore during the collaboration of Homicide Cold Case Detectives and agents from the FBI Forensic Genetic Genealogy Team. Fir...

Detectives failed in 25 instances to place cash evidence or property into the property room by the end of their tour. January 29, 2020 Dallas Chief of Police U. Renee Hall disciplined nearly two dozen former vice officers Wednesday for mishandling department money used in gambling operations and for not delivering evidence in those cases to the pro...

Not delivering evidence in those cases to the property room. Enter Article DATE HERE Dallas Chief of Police U. Renee Hall disciplined nearly two dozen former vice officers Wednesday for mishandling department money used in gambling operations and for not delivering evidence in those cases to the property room. The investigation into suspected ...

Victim, family were staying in an Arlington hotel after recently moving to North Texas from England December 14, 2019 Fort Worth police say they've solved the decades-old cold case murder of an 11-year-old girl using DNA phenotyping. On June 27, 1983, Julie Fuller was reported missing after she'd gone to take out the trash at the Kensington Motel i...

DNA evidence from Jacobs' clothing that could finally be processed using modern technology,  August 30, 2019 JEFFERSON COUNTY — DEVELOPING: The Jefferson County grand jury has indicted Daniel Andrew MacGinnis, 60, for the 1988 murder of Patricia Ann Jacobs. Her body was discovered in October, 1988 in the Neches River beneath the Rainbow Bridge...

A class action lawsuit alleges Central Texas authorities engage in gender discrimination by failing to adequately investigate and prosecute sexual assaults. June 11, 2019 Last year, three named plaintiffs launched a class action lawsuit against the City of Austin, Travis County and several local officials, for failing to adequately investigate and ...

At that time, we submitted about 724 SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) kits," Breedlove told KRIS 6 News. "All but about two hundred of those kits have been analyzed by DPS." June 08, 2019 Thousands of rape kits across Texas, including some that have been sitting on shelves for years, remain untested. Thanks to a new law recently signed by Gove...

The indictment states Brister is accused of stealing marijuana from the evidence storage room. Enter Article DATE HERE JASPER COUNTY — The Jasper County Grand Jury has indicted a former Jasper police officer who is accused of burglarizing the evidence storage room of the Kirbyville Police Department, where his father serves as police chief, ac...

More than 25 years after the crime, Pueblo County deputies arrested a suspect in a cold case murder from Texas on Thursday. March 25, 2019 PUEBLO WEST – More than 25 years after the crime, Pueblo County deputies arrested a suspect in a cold case murder from Texas on Thursday. Pueblo County Sheriff's deputies and U.S. Marshals arrested 73-year-old J...

Austin Police outsourced the DNA testing of the untested rape kits to labs in other states to help tackle the backlog February 22, 2019 AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) - AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department could potentially reopen dozens of rape investigations after getting the results from its backlog of 2,665 untested rape kits. About 35 percent o...

Ray Bans that had been placed in the evidence property room. January 10, 2019 ALAMO — A former police sergeant here was arrested Tuesday over a pair of Ray Bans, marking the second occasion in four months that he was placed under arrest over the glasses. Rodney Guerra, 45, was arrested on a third-degree felony charge of tampering with evidence and ...

Court documents state Chief Ortiz stole $867 seized during a drug investigation from the evidence vault. Enter Article DATE HERE MERKEL, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - The Merkel Police Chief under investigation for mishandling money has been arrested. Chris Ortiz self-surrendered in Callahan County Thursday morning for a Tampering with Physical Evidence...

Salazar said the last time the property room had been thoroughly audited was in 1997. October 12, 2018 SAN ANTONIO - The results aren't in yet but changes are on the way. That's what Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said about an audit of the property room at the Sheriff's Office that started last year and covers cases going back to 2014. The sc...

A former police lieutenant with the Edcouch Police Department accused of staging a drug seizure in order to steal cocaine from the agency's evidence room October 4, 2018 McALLEN — A former police lieutenant with the Edcouch Police Department accused of staging a drug seizure in order to steal cocaine from the agency's evidence room was sentenced Tu...

Investigators said Burton's body was found in a vacant field over 48 years ago August 20 2018 HOUSTON – An 80-year-old man has been charged in connection with cold case involving the fatal shooting of a woman in 1969. The Houston Police Department says Ralph Tyrone Cooper, 80, is charged with murder in the death of his common-law wife, Mary An...

Records obtained by KHOU 11 Investigates confirms the cases that could be compromised date back to 2012 July 21, 2018 HOUSTON, Texas – Hundreds of rape kits in Harris County could have been compromised. This week, KHOU 11 investigates found out the Harris County District Attorney sent out letters saying there may be a problem with evidence collecte...

Chief allegedly took $867 out of the evidence vault July 18, 2018 ABILENE, TX — More information about allegations against the former Merkel Chief of Police has been revealed in the latest court documents recently obtained by KXVA FOX15. The documents state that 40-year-old Christopher Ortiz, who has been the Merkel Chief of Police since 2014, know...

A Houston police officer was treated after officials say he was exposed to an unknown narcotic while collecting evidence during a disturbance at a hotel room Wednesday morning. July 12, 2018 HOUSTON – A Houston police officer was treated after officials say he was exposed to an unknown narcotic while collecting evidence during a disturbance at a ho...

A specialized machine helped determine that Fentanyl was not on they flyers. June 30, 2018 After warning the public about flyers potentially tainted with the opioid Fentanyl, the Harris County Sheriff's Office now confirms lab tests showed no signs of the drug. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences tested 13 flyers and found all of them ...

The sergeant found a flyer on her windshield, removed it and soon began feeling light-headed June 26, 2018 A Texas deputy was treated at a hospital and then released on Tuesday after she touched a flyer suspected of being laced with fentanyl, a potent and potentially deadly opioid. The sergeant found a flyer on her windshield, removed it and soon b...