Harris Co. employees fired in connection to alleged sex scandal at county jail

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Six people entrusted with keeping law and order are now accused of violating the rules of the Harris County Sheriff's Office and breaking the law.

On Friday afternoon, Sheriff Adrian Garcia discussed the problem when he announced the results of an internal investigation.

The alleged sexual misconduct happened inside two jail facilities on Baker Street in downtown Houston -- the bigger detention center and across the street at the minimum security location.

Garcia says at both locations, the sexual activity happened inside the laundry room where there are no surveillance cameras. That's changing...and so is his staff.

"Their actions are inexcusable," said Garcia. "Today, I fired employees who have been employed here for over 10 years."

Among those fired were four detention officers and one deputy. Additionally, a deputy resigned and another retired while under investigation.

They join former Deputy Tony Richards as casualties of the probe that started in August of last year. He was fired in February and is now charged with having improper sexual activity with an inmate.

The others, according to the sheriff, are accused of either having sex with inmates or with other employees or as supervisors looking the other way.

"While people are in our custody, we have laws and rules to abide by," Garcia said.

Dean Sierra was checking into jail for the weekend for driving with a suspended license when we told him about he sex accusations.

"It doesn't surprise me at all," he said.

"I hear it a lot, I really hear it a lot so it doesn't shock me," said Montasha Curtis, who was in downtown to post a bond.

None of the others involved in the scandal have been charged so far, but the case is being referred to the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Garcia didn't name them Friday, but said some of them have been working at the sheriff's office for more than 10 years.

Garcia said he blames the previous administration for a culture that allowed this. He also said the sheriff's office already has taken additional measures, like installing more cameras at the jail to make sure this situation isn't repeated.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest details.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Liberty Co. jail warden, chief fired over assault allegations

  LIBERTY COUNTY, TX (KTRK) -- Two top administrators at the Liberty County jail have been terminated by the firm hired by the county to manage the jail.

By Friday, the firm -- Community Education Centers -- had replaced former Warden Timothy New and former Chief Kenneth Reid Nunn with a new warden and chief of staff.

The decision to terminate New and Nunn came just days after a notice of claim was sent to Liberty County authorities and CEC by the attorneys of Brandy Nichole O'Brien.

According to court documents, O'Brien was "repeatedly subjected to assault and battery, sexual assault, deviant sexual assault, humiliation, degradation and intentional infliction of emotional distress" while incarcerated in the Liberty County jail for failure to make timely child support payments.

The documents state "Nunn and others" were behind the abuse.

Read more details on this story in The Courier of Montgomery County, one of our Houston Community Newspapers partners.

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Houston Texans - 3 Coaches Fired!

Shots fired at ambulance in east Houston

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An ambulance responding to a call about a shooting victim in east Houston Monday night ended up with bullet holes in it.

It happened near North Super and Canal Street. The first 911 call came in as a family disturbance with someone shot in the leg.

When his ambulance arrived, police say there was a man in his car blocking the road. Paramedics asked him to move and eventually drove around him, but as the emergency crews attended to the victim, the suspect pulled out his gun and shot the ambulance at least four times with paramedics inside.

After the shooting, the suspect apparently jumped out of his car and fled.

Officers found his car and with help from witnesses, say they're now focused on finding him.

"There's physical evidence inside the vehicle that matches up to the scene and we do have positive identification," said Sgt. Robert Torres with Houston Police Homicide Division.

Police say the man who was originally shot in the leg ended up being transported by another ambulance. He is listed in stable condition at Ben Taub Hospital and is expected to survive.

There were no injuries in the second shooting.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Shots fired during robbery at NW Harris County game room

Shots rang out overnight at a northwest Harris County game room.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Deputies are investigating an overnight robbery and shooting at a game room in northwest Harris County.

Authorities were called around 1:20am to Jack's Place on Veterans Memorial near Fallbrook. They found an employee with a gunshot wound in the foot.

Witnesses say a group of up to five men entered the business, demanded money and fired their weapons. Several customers were inside. They were robbed as well.

A pending investigation will look into the business itself.

"Our vice division is handling whether it's illegal or a legal operation," said Sgt. David Hillborn with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The employee's injuries are considered non-life threatening. The suspects remain on the run.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Shots fired during police chase through three counties

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A high-speed chase through three counties came to a violent end Monday afternoon in Polk County.

At around 2:30pm Monday, Montgomery County deputy constables say Humble police spotted a driver speeding in the New Caney area. A MCSO deputy constable tried to make a traffic stop, but the suspect fled and authorities gave chase. Deputies say speeds reached 140 miles per hour during the chase.

Law enforcement realized it was a stolen vehicle out of Sugar Land.

DPS says they laid down a spike strip which slowed the suspect's vehicle down, but he kept going and rammed some deputies off the road. The suspect was attempting to ram a Liberty Co. sheriff's vehicle when the captain fired his weapon at the suspect's vehicle, which then stopped.

From SkyEye 13 HD, a large bullet hole could be seen in the driver's side window of the stolen vehicle. The suspect was not hit, but was transported to the hospital as a precaution.

The suspect was taken into custody near Highway 59 at 190, near the Livingston area.

He is facing charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle as well as felony evading arrest.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this story.

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Deputies: Shots fired during suspect chase in north Harris County

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Three people are in custody and the search is on for two others after a reported chase and shootout in north Harris County this afternoon.

Harris Co. Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman says a group of suspects robbed a Sprint cell phone store at I-45 and Cypresswood in the Spring area. Hickman says the suspects were armed and told the manager to put phones into a plastic bag, then forced the manager into the back of the store.

The suspects fled and the manager set off the panic alarm in the store, jumped into his vehicle and called 911 while following the suspects, according to Hickman.

The suspects spotted the manager following them and fired shots into his vehicle. He was not injured.

Precinct 4 deputy constables and Harris Co. Sheriff's deputies then located and pursued the suspects' vehicle, which eventually crashed into a pole near I-45 and Rankin.

Authorities say they apprehended three of the suspects, but the search continues for the other two.

We'll continue to follow this story and bring you any new information on Eyewitness News or here on abc13.com.

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Woman: Employer fired me after cancer diagnosis

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Houston woman says the reason she lost her job was because she got breast cancer. Now she's suing to protect her rights.

The woman used to work at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and thought her boss would stand by her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. So when she was fired it was a total surprise.

Five months after getting hired at the Crowne Plaza Hotel as the conference meetings director, Janet Hustus received devastating news from her doctor.

"When you're told you have cancer, it's very scary," Hustus said.

Hustus went to her general manager, Jerry Mathers, about her treatment and surgery schedule. She missed about eight weeks, and four days after returning, she was fired.

"I was devastated, I didn't know what I was going to do because I had reconstruction surgery that I had to do. I had follow up visits that I had to do. And I didn't know how I was going to pay for it," Hustus said.

Hustus has now filed a lawsuit against Crowne Plaza. Her attorney contends this is a case of employment discrimination.

"Our position is that they terminated for her disability or perceived disability. She had cancer, had subsequent surgery," said Hustus' attorney.

The attorney for the Crowne Plaza Hotel sent us this statement:

"My client just received the lawsuit today and will take a serious look at all of the allegations. I understand that Ms. Hustus worked in a sales-related position and was fired for reasons unrelated to any illness or disability."

"That's the first I've heard of it. I've never heard anything about my job performance, ever," Hustus said.

Legal analyst Geoff Berg says the burden of proof falls on the victims in employment discrimination cases.

"You're going to have to get the employee's file from the employer and you have to look through it and you're going to have to see whether there are any complaints in there, whether there are any reprimands, whether there is any record establishing at the time they claim it happened, that this person had performance issues," Berg said.

Hustus says she feels she had no choice but to take action.

"It's just wrong morally. What they did was wrong," she said.

Hustus is cancer free and has found a new job.

She is seeking financial damages for medical bills she was left with after losing her insurance.

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HPD chief testifies in fired officer's trial

HOUSTON -- Houston's top cop took the stand Tuesday to talk about the controversial beating and arrest of teen burglary suspect, Chad Holley, two years ago.

Former officer Andrew Blomberg is accused of misdemeanor official oppression. On Tuesday, Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland talked about what happened during that videotaped arrest.

The police chief told the jury when he saw that video, it appeared to him the suspect had already surrendered before officers began kicking him repeatedly. But defense lawyers say the tape doesn't tell the whole story.

You could see Blomberg listening closely as his former boss, Chief McClelland, analyzed this controversial video before the jury.

"Former officer Blomberg acted inappropriately against policy, training and in violation of state law," Chief McClelland said.

The police chief and investigators identified Blomberg as the officer you see in the video running toward the burglary suspect, who was then 15-year-old Chad Holley.

McClelland pointed out Blomberg never had his gun drawn as he grabbed the fence and began stomping Holley a few times before running off.

"Officers have special training, and they are taught to constantly assess and reassess. And if you can't do that, then you are not cut out to do this type of work," Chief McClelland said.

He told the jury Blomberg violated safety protocol.

Blomberg has told the jury he's not guilty of the official oppression charges he's facing.

His defense lawyer, Dick Deguerin, grilled the police chief on a legal issue, where the Supreme Court determined reasonable use of force must be judged from the perspective of the officer on the scene, not from 20/20 hindsight.

We asked the chief about the issue moments after he testified.

"I'm an experienced police officer, have more experience than Blomberg, been on the streets longer than Blomberg, so I think that I'm in a good position to certainly make a judgment call on a reasonable officer standard," Chief McClelland said.

Blomberg's defense team also called its witnesses on Tuesday afternoon. They included officers of the gang task force unit who were present during the time of Holley's beating arrest.

Blomberg's charged with a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail or a $4,000 fine. His defense team will continue calling its witnesses beginning Wednesday morning.

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METRO bus driver fired after deadly accident

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- METRO officials fired the bus driver who was behind the wheel of a deadly accident last month.

Witnesses say a man walked into the side of a bus pulling into a station at Wheeler and Main on April 17. The man fell and was run over by the back wheels.

After an investigation METRO determined the driver, Mark Upchurch, could have taken measures to prevent that accident. Upchurch has been with METRO for 12 years.

The Harris County District Attorney's office will conduct it's own investigation.

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Four shots fired at HISD bus with kids on board

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- HISD and Crime Stoppers are hoping a short video clip will help catch a criminal. The video shows what happened inside a school bus full of students when someone started shooting at it.

It happened last month on the frontage road of Highway 59 at Fondren Road in southwest Houston.

Investigators are hoping the public can help identify the shooter. A bullet struck near one of the windows on the bus. The close call left students and parents shaken.

It was a bus ride home Kirkland Jacobs won't forget.

"They were just shooting at us," Jacobs said.

"What was your reaction?" we asked.

"To duck."

Investigators are now releasing video from the bus of what happened with the hopes of catching the person responsible.

"It was kind of scary," Jacobs said.

HISD says the bus left Beechnut Academy with about 26 students on board on March 27. District police say some students on the bus flashed gang signs at someone walking on the street. That person then pulled a gun and fired at the bus on the Southwest Freeway Feeder near Bellaire.

Shavonne Hopper was trying to find her son that day.

"It's sad that children, because it was a group of teenagers right, are walking around like this is the wild, wild west ready to shoot at innocent buses," she said.

She called different bus barns after learning the bus had been involved in some type of incident.

"I'm so grateful that nothing happened to him," Hopper said.

One student had minor cuts from broken glass from a shattered window. The close call left many of the students shaken.

"All I hope is they catch whoever did it and why would you shoot at us if we are already in alternative school?" Beechnut Academy sophomore Michelle Rhodes said. "Maybe if the kids would have been sitting down and doing what they were supposed to, none of that would have happened. If I'd lose my life, my mom would have been crying hard -- anybody could have lost their life but I thank God we didn't."

If you have any information on the bus shooting you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. You can remain anonymous and claim up to $5,000 in reward money.

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